Yesterday, the Arizona Department of Education released the 2021-22 A-F school letter grades for all public schools statewide. The WESD is proud to share that ALL schools increased growth points from 2018-2019. Overall, 13 WESD schools raised their letter grades at least one grade level. Of note, Orangewood School increased their letter grade to a “B” from a “D” in 2018-2019. Additionally, Chaparral increased their letter grade to an “A” from a “C” in 2018-2019. In total, nine schools were classified as an “A”, 17 as a “B” and six as a “C”. A complete list is available below.

“We are extremely proud of our hard-working, dedicated WESD staff,” said Superintendent Dr. Paul Stanton. “Through some of the most challenging times for our students and our staff, our WESD family stayed focused on meeting the social/emotional, academic and behavioral needs of all of our students.”

Dr. Stanton added, “The focus for the WESD has always been about growth: knowing each of our student’s needs and then providing an individual plan to meet them including strong interventions and enrichments that move each child at their own pace.”

The release of the letters grades is the first since the 2018-2019 school year. ADE paused reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the reports is to provide information about student achievement, college and career readiness, student growth, and other key areas of interest to families and the general public.

While the WESD has much to celebrate, Dr. Stanton said it’s important to remember that the letter grades do not tell the whole story of student performance and growth.

“WESD recognizes that a single letter grade does not tell the story of overcoming poverty, trauma and the circumstance many of our families face on a daily basis,” Dr. Stanton said. “For our schools that need support, WESD will provide the resources of coaching and interventions so that we can continue to grow together.”

Dr. Stanton noted that the districtwide growth is a reflection of the collaborative efforts of the teachers, administrators, staff, families and partners who work hard each and every day to support children.

“Thank you again to the dedicated WESD staff, students and families that believed in our children and continue to never give up on them.  Let’s continue to grow together.”

WESD Letter Grades