NE Valley Times

Fountain Hills United School District Governing Board member Libby Settles said it "saddened" her to learn that a strong majority of students at Fountain Hills Middle School failed a state math exam in the 2021-2022 school year.

"It saddens me to see the impact closing our educational institutions during COVID had on students," Settle told NE Valley Times. "FHUSD needs to ensure student’s academic success remains at the forefront of the district goals." 

"I remain committed to continually advocating for a quality education for FHUSD’s students," said Settle. 

66% of students at Fountain Hills Middle School failed their Arizona's Academic Standards Assessment (AASA) Mathematics test in the 2021-22 school year, reported the NE Valley Times last week.

The 394 students who took the AASA test were assessed at four proficiency levels in each subject. Those achieving proficiency level one and two failed the test, while students reaching the third and fourth proficiency level 34% passed the test.

Of those who failed, most achieved proficiency level one.

In 2022 Arizona had roughly one teacher for every 19 students, compared to the national average of one teacher for 16 students. Teachers handling a higher number of students was found to have negative consequences for students’ school performance.

A 2023 study from Scholaroo.com ranked Arizona last out of all U.S. states in terms of educational success, giving the state poor markets for school quality, student success, and teacher-to-student ratio.

Some data provided by the Arizona Department of Education may be incomplete due to the Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Year	Number of students who took the test	% Who Failed
2022	394	66%
2021	408	70%