Black students in Arizona rank near the top in the nation for posting academic gains year after year, and those who attend charter schools may appear to have a competitive edge, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Arizona Center for Student Opportunity. 

“There’s actually good news about the education of African American students here in Arizona that is underrecognized,” said Matthew Ladner, director of the center that was launched earlier this year by the nonprofit Arizona Charter Schools Association to continue to improve academic achievement and opportunity at charter schools in the state. 

But whether parents choose a district, charter or online school for their children, one thing is clear: Arizona is doing something right, Ladner said. 

All students have bested nation

In fact, students of all colors in Arizona have outperformed the nation consistently for academic gains over the past decade, with Black students showing some of the biggest gains, he said.  

That doesn’t mean challenges don’t remain. There’s still an achievement gap with Blacks lagging behind their White peers.

“It’s not to say the problem is solved, but we’ve made a lot of progress in Arizona compared to other places,” he said. “In other states, you see the exact opposite — where things aren’t only bad, they’re getting worse.”

Don’t-fence-me-in policy works 

Ladner believes Arizona’s “don’t fence me in” policies are making the difference. Unlike most states, students in Arizona can attend schools outside their assigned school district boundaries. 

Arizona was one of the first states to offer open enrollment in 1994. Today, it’s widely used by parents statewide. For example, 4,000 of Scottsdale Unified School District’s 22,000 students last year were from out of the district’s geographic boundaries, Ladner said.  

Arizona also has more charter schools than most states. Today, charter school students make up nearly 20 percent of the public school population in the state with 213,000 students and 573 schools.

These policies have made schools more competitive and are benefiting students, particularly low-income Black and Latino students, Ladner said.  

How Arizona stacks up 

To measure how Black students in Arizona are stacking up against the rest of the country, Ladner analyzed standardized test and other data over the past decade from the Arizona Department of Education, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, and the Nation’s Report Card.

Among his findings:

-Over the last decade, Arizona stands as one of the few states demonstrating academic gains year after year among all students, including low-income Black students.

-In 2019, Black students ranked fourth in the nation for academic gains in eighth-grade math, compared to their peers in other states, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress. 

– Maricopa County has one of the highest rates for academic gains for Black students in the country among large urban areas. Last year, the rate of growth was 13 percent above the national average in 2019, according to the .

-Black charter school students in Arizona have seen higher academic gains than the state average in math and English Language Arts on the test since it was implemented in 2015. They also performed better than their district school counterparts. 

Arizona is national model 

It’s clear that Black families in Arizona are benefiting from the wide range of educational options in the state, Ladner said. While more needs to be done to narrow the achievement gap for students of color, Arizona is making ground. 

“This process of allowing people freedom for flexibility, to seek out the best school to meet their needs is helping everyone academically including black students.”

For more information about the association and charter schools in Arizona, visit

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Lyft is teaming up with non-profit organizations across the nation to provide 1.5 million donated and discounted rides to help boost “upward mobility” in under-resourced Black communities, company officials announced last week. 

To help carry out the task, it has formed an alliance with 11 national organizations including the U.S. Black Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce, National Black Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Urban League, and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.

Called the LyftUp Access Alliance, it is being initiated to help Black residents affected by COVID-19 get to job interviews, grocery stores, medical visits, and other appointments, said John Zimmer, president and co-founder of Lyft, in announcing the initiative last week. 

Affordable, reliable transportation is one of the biggest drivers of social and economic mobility, he said. 

“Transportation costs are the second largest expense for most American households, taking down on average 20 cents of every dollar of income and as much as 55 cents for every dollar earned by the poorest households,” Zimmer said. “In large metro areas, Black Americans typically have longer commutes, and Black households in America are more than three times as likely to not own a car.”

Pandemic heightens needs in Black communities 

Valerie Jarrett, a Lyft board member and former senior adviser to President Obama, said affordable transportation is more important than ever as Black communities struggle with higher rates of unemployment and illness during the pandemic.

“From COVID testing and food delivery to mental health and job readiness, the LyftUp Access Alliance will support access to the essential services Black individuals and Black communities need to survive and thrive in the wake of COVID,” Jarrett said.

Anthony Foxx, chief policy officer at Lyft and former U.S. transportation secretary, and 

Valerie Jarrett, a Lyft board member and former senior adviser to President Obama, said affordable transportation is more important than ever as Black communities struggle with higher rates of unemployment and illness during the pandemic.

“From COVID testing and food delivery to mental health and job readiness, the LyftUp Access Alliance will support access to the essential services Black individuals and Black communities need to survive and thrive in the wake of COVID,” Jarrett said.

Anthony Foxx, chief policy officer at Lyft and former U.S. transportation secretary, and Marc Morial, the president and CEO of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans, also spoke during the announcement about the need to reach out to communities of color right now.   

Founding organizations

Lyft has teamed up with 11 national organizations to aid disadvantaged communities of color with transportation and other services through LyftUp Community . 

The founder organizations are:

• NAACP
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• National Black Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce 
• The National Action Network
• The National Urban League
• United Negro College Fund
• U.S. Black Â鶹´«Ă˝Ół»­ of Commerce
• Black Women’s Roundtable
• Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
• My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, an Obama Foundation initiative
• National Bail Fund Network

Local non profits may can apply for ride credits 

The Alliance plans to offer access to more than 1.5 million cars, bikes, and scooter rides to help Black communities reach essential services and resources during the pandemic.  

Local non profit and community organizations interested in applying for ride credits to provide transportation access in their communities can do so at: .

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