MUSD’s Pima Butte ranks high

The Arizona Department of Education has officially named Pima Butte Elementary School a High Ranking and High Progress Reward school.

The elementary school is the only school in the district to have earned a national letter grade A three years in a row.

Maricopa Unified School District Superintendent Steve Chestnut attributed the school’s success to “high expectations, an excellent principal … parental involvement and a stable teacher core.”

Principal Korrin Ledbetter agreed.

“The Pima Butte staff, students, teachers and parents are partners,” Ledbetter said. “The teachers can’t do it without the parents’ support; the parents need the teachers to have their special touch.”

And, she said, the enthusiastic student body who “love to have fun but still learn” also helps.

Ledbetter said the school lives up to its motto: “We have the best school with the best staff.”

To earn the High Ranking title, the school had to earn an A, meet annual standardized objectives, have above average achievement and growth among their bottom quarter of students and a current graduation rate of 80 percent.

***ADVERTISEMENT***The High Progress status results from the school having an A grade, showing above average growth for all students, above average achievement and growth among the bottom quarter of students and high schools with growth in graduation rate of 10 percent over the past three years.

“Under your strong leadership…your staff is equipping students with the skills needed for achieving college and career-readiness and preparing them for the choices and challenges they will encounter beyond high school,” said John Huppenthal, state superintendent of public instruction in a letter to the school.