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Tonopah, Arizona - 5 schools
An equity score of 20/100 ranks Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) #358 of 437 districts in Arizona (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $8,894 per pupil, Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) ranks #509 of 634 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending (Arizona districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
3,146
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$8,894
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) operates 5 public schools serving 3,146 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arizona. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 2 elementary 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 $8,894 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 76.0% local, 9.1% state, and 14.8% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 20/100, ranked #358 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.
a 982.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 54.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 65.8% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% White, 5.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Desert Sunset Elementary School, with a diversity index of 58.4/100.
Its largest campus is Tonopah Valley High School, enrolling 869 students (27% of the district's total enrollment).
Tonopah Valley High School accounts for 26.6% of all Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) student enrollment
That concentration means Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)-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.
Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) school enrollment varies 2.6× across entities
Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) school enrollment ranges from 340 students (lowest) to 869 students (highest), a spread of 529 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) student-counselor ratio is 983:1 — 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.
Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) chronic absenteeism rate is 54.4% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)'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 Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)?
Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) has 5 schools, including 3 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,146 students.
How much does Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) spend per student?
Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) spends $8,894 per student. The district has an equity score of 20/100, ranking #358 in Arizona.
What is the demographic composition of Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)?
Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) students are 65.8% Hispanic or Latino, 24.3% White, 5.8% African American, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254)?
Saddle Mountain Unified School District (4254) has an equity score of 20/100, ranking #358 out of 437 districts in Arizona.