2 Tempe Schools Among 50 Best For Grades K-8: U.S. News

TEMPE, AZ — Several elementary and middle schools in Tempe have been ranked among the best in Arizona, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.
Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.
U.S. News ranked Ward Traditional Academy as the highest in the state among elementary schools in Tempe, according to the new list. Ward Traditional Academy was ranked at No. 39.
Here’s a look at how other elementary schools in Tempe ranked compared with others in the state:

• 81: Kyrene Del Norte School, Kyrene Elementary District
• 116: C I Waggoner School, Kyrene Elementary District
• 148: Fuller Elementary School, Tempe School District
• 225: Hudson Elementary School, Tempe School District

U.S. News also ranked Ward Traditional Academy as the highest in the state among middle schools in Tempe, according to the new list. Ward Traditional Academy was ranked at No. 49.

Here’s a look at how other middle schools in Tempe ranked compared with others in the state:

• 55: Tempe Preparatory Academy, Tempe Preparatory Academy District
• 166: Tempe Academy of International Studies Mckemy Campus,Tempe School District
• 212: Connolly Middle School, Choice Academies Inc.
• 273: Kyrene Middle School, Kyrene Elementary District

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.
Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.
California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.
See the complete list of 2021’s Best K-8 Schools.