Balsz Elementary District (4268)

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.

Phoenix, Arizona - 6 schools

An equity score of 68/100 ranks Balsz Elementary District (4268) #25 of 437 districts in Arizona (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $17,133 per pupil, Balsz Elementary District (4268) ranks #101 of 633 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending (Arizona districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

2,176
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$17,133
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Balsz Elementary District (4268) operates 6 public schools serving 2,176 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arizona. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 elementary, 1 middle, 1 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Maricopa County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,133 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 633 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending. See how Arizona compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 49.3% local, 32.8% state, and 17.8% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 68/100, ranked #25 of 437 in Arizona against a state average of 38, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 598:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 77.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 55.2% Hispanic or Latino, 27.7% African American, 3.4% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Balsz Online Academy (B.O.a.), with a diversity index of 66.6/100.

Its largest campus is Pat Tillman Middle School, enrolling 598 students (31% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Balsz Online Academy (B.O.a.), at 6 students, a 100x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Pat Tillman Middle School accounts for 27.5% of all Balsz Elementary District (4268) student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Balsz Elementary District (4268)-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: middle. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Balsz Elementary District (4268) school enrollment varies 100× across entities

Balsz Elementary District (4268) school enrollment ranges from 6 students (lowest) to 598 students (highest), a spread of 592 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Balsz Elementary District (4268) reports 87.1% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share is at least 75%, indicating a high concentration of measured economic need. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Balsz Elementary District (4268) student-counselor ratio is 598:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Balsz Elementary District (4268) chronic absenteeism rate is 77.2% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

17.8%
Federal
32.8%
State
49.3%
Local

Funding Equity

68
Equity Score
25 / 437
State Rank
38
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 6 schools in Balsz Elementary District (4268).

White 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino 55.2%
African American 27.7%
Multiracial 5.3%
Other 8.1%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 55.3/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Balsz Elementary District (4268)'s schools, above the Arizona average of 47.2.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Balsz Online Academy (B.O.a.) 66.6
  2. 2 David Crockett Elementary School 60.1
  3. 3 Orangedale Early Learning Center 57.9
  4. 4 Pat Tillman Middle School 50.6
  5. 5 Brunson-Lee Elementary School 49.1

Programs & Resources

598:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
77.2%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Balsz Elementary District (4268)

School Enrollment
Pat Tillman Middle School
598
David Crockett Elementary School
466
Griffith Elementary School
422
Brunson-Lee Elementary School
412
Orangedale Early Learning Center
32
Balsz Online Academy (B.O.a.)
6

How Balsz Elementary District (4268) Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Arizona districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Tanque Verde Unified District (4408) Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Legacy Traditional School - Surprise (92879) Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Gar Llc Dba Student Choice High School (78997) Similar size Lower spending No revenue-mix data
Arizona Community Development Corporation (79947) Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Payson Unified District (4209) Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to Balsz Elementary District (4268)'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Arizona

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Nationwide districts with similar enrollment or spending

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.

Compare Balsz Elementary District (4268)

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Mesa Unified District (4235) →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Balsz Elementary District (4268)?

Balsz Elementary District (4268) has 6 schools, including 1 middle, 4 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 2,176 students.

How much does Balsz Elementary District (4268) spend per student?

Balsz Elementary District (4268) spends $17,133 per student. The district has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #25 in Arizona.

What is the demographic composition of Balsz Elementary District (4268)?

Balsz Elementary District (4268) students are 55.2% Hispanic or Latino, 27.7% African American, 3.4% White, 0.5% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Balsz Elementary District (4268)?

Balsz Elementary District (4268) has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #25 out of 437 districts in Arizona.