If you’ve been researching schools in the Gilbert or Queen Creek area, you may have come across the term A+ School of Excellence award — and wondered what it actually means for your child’s education. It’s not just a sticker on a window or a line on a website. For families evaluating where to enroll, understanding this award can be one of the most important factors in making a confident, informed decision. EDUPRIZE Charter Schools has earned this distinction six times — more than any other charter school in Arizona — and in 2026, EDUPRIZE is the only charter school in the state to receive it. Here’s what that really means for the students who walk through our doors every day.
What Is the A+ School of Excellence Award?
The A+ School of Excellence award is one of the most prestigious recognitions a K–12 school can earn in Arizona. Administered by the Arizona Educational Foundation (AEF), the award is not handed out automatically or based on a single test score. Schools must go through a rigorous, multi-year evaluation process that examines academic performance, school culture, leadership, family engagement, and overall educational effectiveness.
The selection process involves comprehensive self-studies, on-site visits from trained evaluators, and detailed reviews of student outcomes. Only schools that demonstrate consistent, measurable excellence across all of these areas receive the designation. It is, in short, one of the hardest education awards to earn — and one of the most meaningful.
Why Does It Matter for Your Child?
When a school earns the A+ School of Excellence award, it signals something specific to parents: this is a place where children are genuinely supported, challenged, and set up to succeed. For families in Gilbert and Queen Creek, that means enrolling your child in a school that has been independently verified to deliver on its promises. Here’s what the award reflects in practice:
- Strong academic outcomes backed by data, not just marketing language
- A school culture built around student well-being, safety, and belonging
- Certified, highly qualified teachers who are equipped to meet each student where they are
- Leadership that is accountable, transparent, and focused on continuous improvement
- Meaningful family engagement and a genuine sense of community
These are the qualities that shape a child’s experience from Pre-K through 8th grade. They affect not just test scores, but confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning.
Six Wins. One School. What That Consistency Tells You.
EDUPRIZE has earned the A+ School of Excellence award in 2007, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2020, and 2026. That consistency is important. Any school can have a strong year. But earning this recognition six times across nearly two decades tells a different story — one of sustained commitment to excellence regardless of which grade a child is in, which campus they attend, or what challenges the broader education landscape is facing.
It also speaks to institutional stability. The same values — captured in EDUPRIZE’s THRIVE framework of Trust, Heart, Respect, Inquiry, Value, and Excellence — have guided the school for years. That doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because of intentional leadership, dedicated teachers, and a community of families who hold the school to a high standard.
2026: The Only Charter School in Arizona to Win
Arizona is home to hundreds of charter schools. In 2026, exactly one of them earned the A+ School of Excellence award: EDUPRIZE. That distinction is significant not because it’s a competition, but because it reflects the depth of commitment required to meet the AEF’s standards at the highest level.
For parents who want to enroll their child in a school that has been independently verified to be exceptional — not just rated well on a website — this is meaningful, objective confirmation. It means the evaluators walked the campuses in Gilbert and Queen Creek, reviewed the curriculum, observed the classrooms, and confirmed that what EDUPRIZE delivers matches what it promises.
What This Looks Like Inside the Classroom
The award doesn’t just reflect what EDUPRIZE has done in the past — it reflects what your child will experience today. At both the Gilbert and Queen Creek campuses, students benefit from small class sizes that allow teachers to provide individualized attention. Certified teachers lead hands-on, inquiry-based learning through programs like Live Learning Labs and STEM-integrated curriculum. Students who need additional challenge have access to the RISE Gifted program, while those who need flexible learning paths can explore the FLEX Program.
This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to education. It’s a school designed to meet your child where they are and help them grow — academically, socially, and personally. That’s the kind of environment the A+ School of Excellence award is built to recognize.
Enrollment Is Open — and Seats Are Limited
Because EDUPRIZE maintains small class sizes as part of its educational model, enrollment spots are genuinely limited each year. Families who wait often find that the grade level or campus they wanted is no longer available. Open enrollment is happening now for the Gilbert and Queen Creek campuses (Pre-K through 8th grade) as well as the EDUPRIZE Online Program for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade.
If you’ve been weighing your options, the A+ School of Excellence award — especially the 2026 designation as the only charter school in Arizona to earn it — is a strong signal that EDUPRIZE is worth a closer look. Schedule a tour, ask your questions, and see the difference for yourself. Your child deserves a school that has proven it can deliver. EDUPRIZE has done exactly that, six times over.
Learn More
Apply Now: https://www.eduprize.com/Apply/
Schedule a Tour: https://www.eduprize.com/Tour/
Gilbert Campus: https://www.eduprize.com/Gilbert/
Queen Creek Campus: https://www.eduprize.com/QueenCreek/
Online Program: https://www.eduprize.com/Online/