San Carlos Unified District (4210)

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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

San Carlos, Arizona - 4 schools

An equity score of 84/100 ranks San Carlos Unified District (4210) #10 of 437 districts in Arizona (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $17,750 per pupil, San Carlos Unified District (4210) ranks #92 of 634 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending (Arizona districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,404
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$17,750
Per-Pupil Spending
High, Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

San Carlos Unified District (4210) operates 4 public schools serving 1,404 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arizona. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high, 1 combined, 1 middle 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 Gila County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,750 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 634 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending. See how Arizona compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 3.9% local, 32.9% state, and 63.2% federal, an unusually federal-heavy mix, typically a marker of concentrated Title I eligibility or a small district reliant on federal impact-aid programs. The district's equity score is 84/100, ranked #10 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 354.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 81.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 0.7% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is San Carlos Middle School, with a diversity index of 3.4/100.

Its largest campus is Rice Elementary School, enrolling 673 students (47% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is San Carlos Alternative High School, at 37 students, a 18x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Rice Elementary School accounts for 46.8% of all San Carlos Unified District (4210) student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of San Carlos Unified District (4210) a distant remainder — means San Carlos Unified District (4210)-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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

San Carlos Unified District (4210) school enrollment varies 18× across entities

San Carlos Unified District (4210) school enrollment ranges from 37 students (lowest) to 673 students (highest), a spread of 636 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. 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 NCES Common Core of Data

San Carlos Unified District (4210) has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 72.3% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

San Carlos Unified District (4210) student-counselor ratio is 355:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

San Carlos Unified District (4210) chronic absenteeism rate is 81.3% — 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 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

63.2%
Federal
32.9%
State
3.9%
Local

Funding Equity

84
Equity Score
10 / 437
State Rank
38
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 4 schools in San Carlos Unified District (4210).

Asian 0.7%
Other 99.2%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 1.8/100

Average Simpson diversity index across San Carlos Unified District (4210)'s schools, below the Arizona average of 47.2.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 San Carlos Middle School 3.4
  2. 2 Rice Elementary School 3.0
  3. 3 San Carlos High School 1.0
  4. 4 San Carlos Alternative High School 0.0

Programs & Resources

354.8:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
81.3%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in San Carlos Unified District (4210)

School Enrollment
Rice Elementary School
673
San Carlos High School
433
San Carlos Middle School
295
San Carlos Alternative High School
37

How San Carlos Unified District (4210) Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Arizona districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Ombudsman Educational Services Ltd.a Subsidiary (4323) Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Benson Unified School District (79226) Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Round Valley Unified District (4155) Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Heritage Academy Gateway Inc. (92519) Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Kingman Academy of Learning (4383) Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix

Comparisons are relative to San Carlos Unified District (4210)'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Arizona

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Compare San Carlos Unified District (4210)

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in San Carlos Unified District (4210)?

San Carlos Unified District (4210) has 4 schools, including 1 combined, 2 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,404 students.

How much does San Carlos Unified District (4210) spend per student?

San Carlos Unified District (4210) spends $17,750 per student. The district has an equity score of 84/100, ranking #10 in Arizona.

What is the demographic composition of San Carlos Unified District (4210)?

San Carlos Unified District (4210) students are 0.7% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for San Carlos Unified District (4210)?

San Carlos Unified District (4210) has an equity score of 84/100, ranking #10 out of 437 districts in Arizona.