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Civics Test

Attention Eighth-Grade Students and Families

During the Legislative Session of 2015, Arizona passed the American Civics Act (House Bill 2064). This legislation mandates that students are required to pass a civics exam. In order to pass, students must score 70% or higher in order to graduate from an Arizona high school or obtain a high school equivalency certificate. 

The civics exam designed by The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) includes the 100 civics questions from the naturalization test in a multiple-choice format. There are a few questions that require students to name current elected officials that are worded as short answer questions and placed at the end of the assessment.

Tempe Elementary has been working with the Tempe Union High School District (TUHSD) in administering the civics exam to eighth-grade students to satisfy this high school graduation requirement. A student who does not obtain a passing score on the test may retake the test in high school until the student obtains a passing score.

The Civics Test Administration Window is scheduled for March 25 through May 22, 2025 and will be given during your student’s eighth-grade social studies class. After Civics Testing is complete, student scores are sent to TUHSD as an official record and placed in the student's cumulative file. If your student is not attending a TUHSD school, you may request a Civics Result Letter that will satisfy the HS Civics Test Requirement at any Arizona high school.

In addition to classroom instruction and practice for the civics exam, several resources for students have been compiled at www.tempeschools.org/civicstest and at these webpages: 

If you have any questions related to the civics test or the shared resources, please contact Dr. Brandie Burton, Director of Data and Analytics, at brandie.burton@tempeschools.org. If you have questions as to when the civics test will take place at your child’s school, please contact your school.

Civics Test Letter to 8th-Grade Families - English

Carta del Examen de Educación Cívica a las Familias de 8º Grado - en Español