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Gilbert, Arizona - 16 schools
An equity score of 24/100 ranks Higley Unified School District (4248) #312 of 437 districts in Arizona (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $8,545 per pupil, Higley Unified School District (4248) ranks #536 of 634 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending (Arizona districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
13,040
Total Enrollment
16
Schools
$8,545
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Higley Unified School District (4248) operates 16 public schools serving 13,040 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Arizona. The school portfolio breaks down into 12 combined, 2 middle, 2 elementary schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. 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 $8,545 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 634 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending. See how Arizona compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 40.1% local, 48.7% state, and 11.2% 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 24/100, ranked #312 of 437 in Arizona against a state average of 38, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 16 schools offering Advanced Placement (43 AP courses district-wide), a 468.9:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 42.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 60.1% White, 23.2% Hispanic or Latino, 4.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Gateway Pointe Elementary, with a diversity index of 68.8/100.
Williams Field High School accounts for 16.5% of all Higley Unified School District (4248) student enrollment
That concentration means Higley Unified School District (4248)-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Higley Unified School District (4248) school enrollment varies 29× across entities
Higley Unified School District (4248) school enrollment ranges from 74 students (lowest) to 2,150 students (highest), a spread of 2,076 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Higley Unified School District (4248) student-counselor ratio is 469:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Higley Unified School District (4248) chronic absenteeism rate is 42.0% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Comparisons are relative to Higley Unified School District (4248)'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.
How many schools are in Higley Unified School District (4248)?
Higley Unified School District (4248) has 16 schools, including 12 combined, 2 middle, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 13,040 students.
How much does Higley Unified School District (4248) spend per student?
Higley Unified School District (4248) spends $8,545 per student. The district has an equity score of 24/100, ranking #312 in Arizona.
What is the demographic composition of Higley Unified School District (4248)?
Higley Unified School District (4248) students are 60.1% White, 23.2% Hispanic or Latino, 4.8% African American, 3.8% Asian, averaged across 16 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Higley Unified School District (4248)?
Higley Unified School District (4248) has an equity score of 24/100, ranking #312 out of 437 districts in Arizona.