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Sweetwater Community School

Summary:

Sweetwater Community School is an alternative public school in Phoenix, Arizona, serving 187 students in grades K-12. The school faces significant challenges, with low graduation rates, poor test scores, and high dropout rates compared to surrounding schools and state averages.

Sweetwater Community School stands out for its high percentage of Hispanic students (52.41%) and economically disadvantaged students (47.59% receive free or reduced-price lunch), which may contribute to its academic struggles. The school's 4-year graduation rate is only 37.7%, far below the state average of 80%, and its test scores are consistently lower than the Paradise Valley Unified District and the state across all subjects and grade levels. For example, in 11th grade, only 11% of Sweetwater students were proficient or better in Science and Mathematics, compared to 29% and 46% respectively for the district.

When compared to nearby schools like Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix, Great Hearts Academies - Archway Veritas, and AmeriSchools Academy - Camelback, Sweetwater Community School stands out as an outlier, with significantly lower academic performance and higher dropout rates. The school's unique challenges and student population suggest the need for targeted interventions and support to help students succeed and close the achievement gap.


Detail:

Public, Alternative K-12

 4215 E Andora Dr
       Phoenix, AZ  85032-6701

(602) 449-2300

District: Paradise Valley Unified District


Student/teacher ratio:  4.7 Help
Number of students:  187

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
52.4%
White:
35.3%
African American:
5.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  47.6% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Sweetwater Community School is not ranked due for the most recent year due to insufficient test score data. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.21. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Sweetwater Community School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Sweetwater Community School has the smallest alternative school student body size in the Paradise Valley Unified District. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (52.4%), White (35.3%), African American (5.3%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 47.6% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Paradise Valley Unified District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Sweetwater Community School is 4.7. 1 alternative schools in the Paradise Valley Unified District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Sweetwater Community School employs 39 full-time teachers.
Finance
Schooldigger Rankings:

Sweetwater Community School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Paradise Valley Unified District:

SchoolDigger ranks Paradise Valley Unified District 108th of 288 Arizona school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Sweetwater Community School

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Rank History for all students at Sweetwater Community School



Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 23.00 503rd 618 18.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 15.02 745th 824 9.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 15.70 723rd 830 12.9%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 58.24 148th 289 48.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Data source: test scores: Arizona Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Rank History for Sweetwater Community School

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Rank History for all students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2017 17.06 337th 416 19.0%
2018 14.09 372nd 420 11.4%
2021 23.19 382nd 509 25.0%
2022 20.36 344th 464 25.9%
2023 24.21 343rd 469 26.9%
See the entire list of Arizona Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 16.67 271st 374 27.5%
2023 51.34 98th 199 50.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 65.86 49th 380 87.1%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 13.18 236th 253 6.7%
2023 10.22 342nd 347 1.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 11.75 326th 354 7.9%
2021 15.56 407th 492 17.3%
2022 16.19 375th 456 17.8%
2023 23.43 311th 406 23.4%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Foster Care students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 34.65 38th 130 70.8%
2022 30.47 48th 116 58.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Foster Care Students!

Rank History for Male students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 13.02 345th 370 6.8%
2021 25.46 355th 492 27.8%
2022 24.48 305th 455 33.0%
2023 19.52 349th 429 18.6%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 24.04 202nd 306 34.0%
2022 20.15 221st 301 26.6%
2023 31.22 127th 201 36.8%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 10.80 305th 311 1.9%
2021 54.86 159th 479 66.8%
2022 31.64 260th 441 41.0%
2023 22.16 310th 379 18.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Native American students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 25.05 150th 255 41.2%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for Native American Students!

Rank History for White students at Sweetwater Community School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools AZ State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 7.96 280th 291 3.8%
2021 12.42 362nd 448 19.2%
2022 13.85 347th 409 15.2%
2023 14.62 321st 371 13.5%
See the entire list of Best Arizona Alternative Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Arizona Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Sweetwater Community School Test Scores
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Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
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Data source: Arizona Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Sweetwater Community School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2015 69 7 1 69 3 1 4 0 154
2016 87 9 3 84 4 1 2 0 190
2017 66 13 2 73 5 4 2 0 165
2018 64 14 2 70 7 0 9 0 166
2019 66 10 0 74 4 1 2 0 157
2020 53 11 1 110 2 2 7 0 186
2021 36 9 1 61 2 1 5 0 115
2022 167 45 25 217 14 1 22 0 491
2023 66 10 3 98 6 0 4 0 187

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Sweetwater Community School

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2015 154 12.0 12.8 n/a
2016 190 14.0 13.5 32.1
2017 165 13.5 12.1 49.1
2018 166 13.0 12.7 38
2019 157 0.0 n/a 45.2
2020 186 13.6 13.6 41.4
2021 115 19.1 6.0 n/a
2022 491 38.6 12.7 28.1
2023 187 39.0 4.7 47.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Sweetwater Community School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2015 154 12.0 12.8 n/a
2016 190 14.0 13.5 32.1
2017 165 13.5 12.1 49.1
2018 166 13.0 12.7 38
2019 157 0.0 n/a 45.2
2020 186 13.6 13.6 41.4
2021 115 19.1 6.0 n/a
2022 491 38.6 12.7 28.1
2023 187 39.0 4.7 47.6

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Sweetwater Community School

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2019 $13,398
2020 $11,369

Data source: Arizona Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Sweetwater Community School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students157187
 19.1%
African American1010
American Indian46
 50%
Asian03
Hispanic7498
 32.4%
Pacific Islander10
 100%
White6666
Two or More Races24
 100%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients45.2%47.6%
 2.4%

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Frequently Asked Questions about Sweetwater Community School

In the 2022-23 school year, 187 students attended Sweetwater Community School.

Students at Sweetwater Community School are 52% Hispanic, 35% White, 5% African American, 3% American Indian, 2% Two or more races, 2% Asian.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arizona Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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