Four Queen Creek Unified School District schools rose from a B to an A in Arizona's 2025-26 A-F ratings, and the share of district students passing the state math test climbed five points, according to a presentation the governing board will hear at a study session Tuesday, Nov. 10.
The 34-slide deck, attached to the board agenda, compares each campus with its results a year earlier. The schools that moved up were Gateway Polytechnic Academy, Jack Barnes Elementary, Queen Creek Junior High and Crismon High School.
Every other traditional campus in the deck held an A, with one exception: Queen Creek Virtual Academy, the district's online high school program, earned a C in both years.
Where the gains came from
Arizona's grades for kindergarten through eighth grade weight student growth at 50%, proficiency at 30%, and English learner progress and an acceleration and readiness measure at 10% each. High schools are graded on proficiency, growth, graduation, college and career readiness and English learners.
Growth points drove several of the upgrades. Queen Creek Junior High's growth score rose from 34.81 to 43.5 out of 50, and Gateway's from 37.47 to 45.06, according to the slides. Crismon's hybrid score, which blends its junior high and high school grades, rose from 60.69 out of a possible 78.05 to 72.34 out of 90.
The virtual academy's graduation points doubled, from 10 to 20 out of 20, but its proficiency score stayed under 10 out of 30.
How the district compares
On the state's AASA math test, 55% of Queen Creek Unified students passed in 2026, up from 50% in 2025, according to a chart comparing East Valley districts. The same chart shows Higley and Vail at 56%, Gilbert at 52%, Chandler at 50% and the state at 34%.
