CASA Academy

WHO WE ARE CASA Academy is a free, public school that serves low-income students in grades kindergarten through second grade. CASA currently serves 175 students and since its inception, has served over 500 students. At CASA, 98% of students qualify for free-and-reduced-price lunch, 75% are English Language Learners and over 90% of the student body are students of color. Through a combination of rigorous academics, a college-bound culture, competitively selected teachers, and an extended school-day, CASA aims to have all of its students to make over 1.5 years of growth in a single year. At CASA, the road to college truly starts in kindergarten. OUR STORY In 2012, Jenna Leahy and Tacey Clayton met and immediately connected over the injustice they witnessed in their classrooms— even in the primary grades, students from low-income communities were not progressing at the same rate as their higher income peers. Unfortunately, their experiences were not unique: statistically, on average, low-income students are already two years behind by the time they reach the fourth grade. After raising $960,000 in start-up funding, they decided to found a school that would tackle educational inequity at the earliest grades possible. Their vision, guided by overcoming the inequalities they had experienced in the early grades, is today a reality: a Phoenix school dedicated to closing the academic achievement gap—CASA Academy. OUR MISSION CASA Academy provides low income students with the early academic foundation and character skills necessary to graduate from college and succeed in life. At CASA we are not just a school, but a movement to raise the bar for education in Phoenix. OUR CORE BELIEFS We set an early foundation for future college and career success. We provide a transformative education. Our scholars persevere in the face of challenges.