ARCHES Academy is a public charter elementary school in Mesa, Arizona, serving grades K-8 with a total enrollment of just 55 students. However, this small school faces significant challenges, including low academic performance, high dropout rates, and a lack of diversity compared to nearby schools.
With consistently low proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics, often 20 percentage points or more below the state and district averages, ARCHES Academy ranks in the bottom 15% of Arizona elementary schools. The school's 8.7% dropout rate is also much higher than the state average. Additionally, ARCHES Academy has a higher percentage of White students (80%) compared to the more diverse student populations at surrounding schools like Taft Elementary School and Stevenson Elementary School.
The challenges at ARCHES Academy appear to be widespread, affecting all student subgroups. With a small student population and limited resources, the school may be struggling to provide the necessary support and educational opportunities for its students. In contrast, the larger public schools in the Mesa Unified District and nearby charter schools like Cambridge Academy East and Imagine East Mesa Elementary seem to have more funding and resources, as evidenced by their higher per-student spending and lower student-teacher ratios, as well as stronger academic performance.
Students at ARCHES Academy are 80% White, 11% Hispanic, 4% American Indian, 2% African American, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races.
ARCHES Academy
In the 2022-23 school year, 55 students attended ARCHES Academy.