Arizona’s achievement gap is among the smallest in the country and charter schools top many of the rankings.
According to the Education Equality Index published by Education Cities and Great Schools, Arizona ranks third* in the country with the amount of schools that are closing the achievement gap for all children, regardless of their socioeconomic background.
In addition, the study ranked the top 100 largest cities, identifying up to 10 schools in each city with small or nonexistent achievement gaps. In Tucson and Phoenix, the majority of the top 10 schools with minimal or no achievement gaps for low-income students are charter schools. Overall, Phoenix ranked 26th and Tucson finished 46th among the top 100 cities for closing the achievement gap. Gilbert finished second, and Scottsdale and Chandler also ranked in the top 10.
Today’s findings add to the trend of positive news about academic improvement in Arizona, following on the heels of encouraging NAEP and AzMERIT scores that show charter students ranking second in the country and outperforming state averages in every grade level and subject area.
“Our charter school teachers, leaders and students should be proud of the work their doing. This index shows that Arizona students are improving, and charter schools are leading that charge,” said Eileen B. Sigmund, Arizona Charter Schools Association President and CEO. “Beyond the data, charters are changing lives and giving students and families a world of new academic options.”
Click here to view the report.
*Education Cities and Great Schools identified limitations in the interpretation of state-level Education Equality Index scores that do not allow for comparison across states. State level scores are provided only for context with which to compare city scores and to note the trajectory of states.
