Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454)

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.

Eloy, Arizona - 2 schools

An equity score of 45/100 ranks Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) #152 of 437 districts in Arizona (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,422 per pupil, Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) ranks #188 of 633 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending (Arizona districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

360
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$13,422
Per-Pupil Spending
High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) operates 2 public schools serving 360 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arizona. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 high 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 Pinal County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,422 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 64.5% local, 21.6% state, and 13.9% 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 45/100, ranked #152 of 437 in Arizona against a state average of 38, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

a 212.5:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 56.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 73.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% White, 7.0% African American across the district's schools.

Its largest campus is Santa Cruz Valley Union High School, enrolling 399 students (94% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Santa Cruz Center for Success, at 26 students, a 15x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School accounts for 93.9% of all Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) a distant remainder — means Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454)-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Because it contains a majority of the affected population, enrollment-weighted aggregates will sit closer to this entity's reported fields than to those of smaller peers; an unweighted entity count answers a different question.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) reports 63.8% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. 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

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) student-counselor ratio is 213:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) chronic absenteeism rate is 56.1% — 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?

13.9%
Federal
21.6%
State
64.5%
Local

Funding Equity

45
Equity Score
152 / 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 2 schools in Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454).

White 10.8%
Hispanic or Latino 73.5%
African American 7.0%
Multiracial 2.5%
Other 6.1%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Programs & Resources

212.5:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
56.1%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454)

School Enrollment
Santa Cruz Valley Union High School
399
Santa Cruz Center for Success
26

How Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Arizona districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Littlefield Unified District (4374) Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Ethos Academy - a Challenge Foundation Academy (92379) Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Asu Preparatory Academy (91303) Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
Cochise County Accommodation School District (1001687) Similar size Lower spending No revenue-mix data
Leading Edge Academy Queen Creek (91174) Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454)'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 Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454)

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 Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454)?

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) has 2 schools, including 2 high. Total enrollment is 360 students.

How much does Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) spend per student?

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) spends $13,422 per student. The district has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #152 in Arizona.

What is the demographic composition of Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454)?

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) students are 73.5% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% White, 7.0% African American, 0.1% Asian, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454)?

Santa Cruz Valley Union High School District (4454) has an equity score of 45/100, ranking #152 out of 437 districts in Arizona.