108 schools leave school improvement status in past year, Horne celebrates academic success

Touts efforts of multiple schools to raise student achievement

PHOENIX – Using proven methods that emphasize rigorous academics in the classroom has pulled 108 schools out of “School Improvement” status this past year, Superintendent Tom Horne announced today. Horne is also celebrating the academic success of other schools that have consistently used programs based on core academic subjects that cause students to excel academically.

School Improvement status is conferred when a school needs to raise its academic performance based on federal student accountability measures. States are required to identify and intervene in the lowest five percent of Title I schools and other schools that consistently underperform. Schools must follow an improvement plan using evidence-based strategies.

Horne said, “The schools we are honoring today have proven that when students are challenged academically and class time is devoted to teaching core subjects like reading and math, test scores will go up, and students will succeed. This is exactly what Project Momentum, which is overseen by my department, is designed to do. When I took office for the third time in 2023, the governor decided not to continue Project Momentum through her office, so I immediately brought it into the Department of Education and funded it. It is a highly effective program that emphasizes academic knowledge and helps educators do the right work to ensure that all students succeed.”

He added, “As an example, the Cesar E. Chavez Community School is one of 108 Arizona schools that have improved to the point that it is no longer in School Improvement” status. I want to applaud the work of its Principal, Christina Chavez, and all the educators, students, staff, and parents who are doing the hard work to improve this school’s performance. Roosevelt district Superintendent Dr. Dani Portillo deserves tremendous credit for her ongoing efforts to emphasize academics and improve performance throughout the district.”

While celebrating the recent success of the school's leaving improvement status, Horne is also recognizing three Phoenix-area charter schools that have reported remarkable proficiency results in math and language scores well above the state average. This counters the incorrect assertion that knowledge is not important because facts can be looked up. The best way to learn is to acquire academic knowledge using core curricula, which Horne has promoted since the 1990s. 

They are:

American Leadership Academy Gilbert South K-6 campus:
Language: 65 percent – Math: 64 percent

Candeo Schools Peoria campus:
Language: 83 percent – Math: 79 percent

Challenge Charter School
Language: 70 percent – Math: 52 percent

In math, the state proficiency average is 31 percent and 40 percent for language arts.

Horne concluded, “These schools are proving that a commitment to making sure every instructional minute is used wisely gets outstanding results for the students. They should be very proud of their lasting commitment to academic excellence.”