Summary:
The city of Payson, Arizona is home to two elementary schools serving students from kindergarten through 6th grade: Julia Randall Elementary School and Payson Elementary School. While both schools face socioeconomic challenges, with high percentages of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, Payson Elementary appears to outperform Julia Randall Elementary in academic achievement.
Payson Elementary has a slightly higher percentage of white students compared to Julia Randall, but Julia Randall has a larger Hispanic student population. Academically, Payson Elementary consistently outperforms Julia Randall across grade levels and subject areas, with a 37% proficiency rate in 5th grade English Language Arts compared to Julia Randall's 29%. This academic performance gap may be influenced by the significant difference in per-student spending, with Payson Elementary spending $8,928 per student compared to Julia Randall's $6,722.
Both schools are part of the Payson Unified District and have a 2-star rating from School Digger, but Julia Randall Elementary's ranking has declined from 683rd out of 1,226 Arizona elementary schools in 2020-2021 to 724th out of 1,245 in 2022-2023. This suggests that while the Payson area faces socioeconomic challenges, Payson Elementary may be better equipped to support student learning and achievement compared to Julia Randall Elementary.
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