Valley Preparatory Academy

Valley Preparatory Academy is a four-year high school of rural-scale scale in Tempe, Arizona, run under Kestrel Schools Inc. (79065), caters to 30 students in grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 631 students per school, that is 95% smaller than typical.

Kestrel Schools Inc. (79065) is the operating authority for Valley Preparatory Academy, handling staffing, calendars, and reporting to the state department of education.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Valley Preparatory Academy records that 57% of the student body identifies as Hispanic; the rest consists of 27% White, 7% Black, 3% Asian, 3% Native American. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 31%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 7 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 4.6:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 20.2:1 average.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Maricopa County shows the typical household earns roughly $89,300 per year, 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. In all, Maricopa County runs 1352 public schools (combined enrollment of about 725,139 students), of which Valley Preparatory Academy is one.

Nearest neighbor: Ward Traditional Academy, around 0.7 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Valley Preparatory Academy.

Valley Preparatory Academy operates from a metropolitan location. As a public charter, Valley Preparatory Academy runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Valley Preparatory Academy has rose 25%, going from 24 students in 2018 to 30 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment grew from 29% to 57% over that span.

On allk12, members of the Valley Preparatory Academy community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.