Arizona Revised Statutes § 15-241 requires the Arizona Department of Education, subject to final adoption by the State Board of Education, to develop an annual achievement profile for every public school in the state based on an A through F scale. The system measures year to year student academic growth, proficiency on English language arts, math and science, the proficiency and academic growth of English language learners, indicators that an elementary student is ready for success in high school and that high school students are ready to succeed in a career or higher education and high school graduation rates.
Prior year letter grades may be viewed in the tabs below. For letter grades prior to the 2016-2017 school year, please visit https://www.azed.gov/accountability-research/state-accountability
| Category | Designation |
|---|---|
| A, B, C, D or F | School received a letter grade based on the A-F Accountability System |
| NR (not rated) | School is not rated due to insufficient data, primarily because the school did not have a sufficient number of students |
For more information for schools on the A-F appeals process
A-F Letter Grades are the State Accountability model used to annually measure school performance.
As a parent, how should I use A-F Letter Grades? A-F Letter Grades are one component to consider when deciding where to enroll your student. A-F Letter Grades provide general information about the performance of a school and use several measures included the annual state assessment. A-F Letter Grades as well as additional information about schools including the programs/extracurriculars they offer is available through the Arizona School Report Cards website (https://azreportcards.azed.gov/).
What are the components of A-F Letter Grades? A-F Letter Grades use state assessment results, English learner assessment results, attendance, special education metrics, graduation rates and progress towards graduation, and graduating seniors’ completion of activities that help prepare for college and career. These data points are used to measure students’ performance and growth on the state assessment, English learner’s proficiency and growth towards proficiency in English, and readiness for students’ next steps whether that be to high school or to college and careers. For more detailed information on the A-F Letter Grades, please use the A-F Letter Grade Technical Manuals on the Arizona Department of Education website here: https://www.azed.gov/accountability-research/resources under “Technical Manuals & Codebooks”.
What is the timeline for A-F Letter Grades? According to Arizona State Statute, A-F Letter Grades must be released by November 1 st following the school year they represent.
Once letter grades are released, schools have until November 15 th to appeal their letter grade based on adverse testing conditions, school/community events or emergency, school tragedy, or incorrect data. Appeals are reviewed by the Board’s A-F Appeals Committee and determinations are made in the December Board meeting.
The Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona State Board recognize that A-F Letter Grades contain important information for families and communities and make every effort to make A-F Letter Grades available as early as possible.