Summary:
The city of Gila Bend, Arizona is home to 3 schools - 2 elementary schools (Gila Bend Elementary and Kiser Elementary School) and 1 high school (Gila Bend High School). The schools in this area face significant challenges, with low academic performance, high dropout rates, and high percentages of economically disadvantaged students.
Among the schools, Kiser Elementary School stands out as the highest-performing, with higher test scores and proficiency rates compared to the other schools and the state averages. In contrast, Gila Bend Elementary has seen a concerning decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 877 out of 1,039 Arizona elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 1,226 out of 1,245 in 2022-2023. Gila Bend High School also struggles with a low four-year graduation rate of 55.3% and a high dropout rate of 13.1%.
The disparities in funding and performance across the schools are also noteworthy, with Kiser Elementary School spending nearly three times more per student than Gila Bend High School. This suggests that the significant socioeconomic challenges faced by the schools in the Gila Bend Unified District and the Paloma School District may be contributing to the observed performance gaps.
Thank you for your feedback!