Charter Schools Represent a Bright Spot in AzMERIT Scores

Arizona’s charter students outperformed the state average of students passing the test in ELA and Math by 5-12 percentage points in every grade level.

The inaugural AzMERIT scores, released by the Arizona Department of Education on Monday evening, show the hard work and dedication of Arizona’s charter students, teachers and leaders.

“These data make it clear that Arizona’s charter schools are meeting their statutory mandate to improve student achievement and provide parental choice,” said Eileen Sigmund, President and CEO of the Arizona Charter Schools Association. “Our charter teachers, leaders and students should be proud of the work they’ve done.”

AzMERIT Infographic PNG

In addition, of schools with 80 percent or more of students passing the test, the majority are charter schools:

  • ELA – Two-thirds of the schools are charters (16 of the 24)
  • Math – Over 55% of the schools are charters (15 of 27)

While this is a baseline year, the Association will continue to work towards an A-F Letter Grade system that includes growth, proficiency and other indicators of student success.

The full data file is available here.