Agua Caliente School vs Marshall Elementary School

Agua Caliente School and Marshall Elementary School sit just 6.4 miles apart in Tucson, Arizona, yet they rank back-to-back among the state's best elementary schools — Agua Caliente at #44 of 2002 in Arizona and Marshall at #45 of 2002. Both earn a 9.1/10 overall rating, meaning neither school has a meaningful edge on that single headline figure. The near-identical overall scores, however, obscure real differences in the underlying metrics that matter to families weighing a long-term fit.

On academic performance, Agua Caliente School holds a clear edge: its academic score of 9.1/10 runs 0.7 points above Marshall Elementary School's 8.4/10 — a gap that reflects measurably stronger tested proficiency outcomes. Growth scores are closer but still favor Agua Caliente, which posts a 9.5/10 versus Marshall's 9.2/10. That 0.3-point growth advantage suggests students at Agua Caliente are advancing at a slightly faster year-over-year pace regardless of where they start, which matters especially for families transferring mid-elementary.

The two schools serve different enrollment scales. Agua Caliente School enrolls 428 students compared to Marshall Elementary School's 273, making Marshall the smaller community by roughly a third. That size difference shows up in staffing: Marshall's student-teacher ratio is 11.9:1 versus Agua Caliente's 14.8:1, meaning Marshall students get roughly three more classroom minutes per teacher across a typical instructional period. For families who prioritize individualized attention and a tighter-knit school culture, that ratio gap is the most concrete differentiator between the two campuses.

One structural distinction is grade span. Agua Caliente School runs PK through 6th grade, keeping students through the full elementary arc. Marshall Elementary School tops out at 5th grade, meaning families will navigate a school transition one year earlier than at Agua Caliente. For parents planning ahead on middle school logistics, that single-year difference in grade coverage has real scheduling implications.