Sunnyside Unified District (4407)

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.

Tucson, Arizona - 22 schools

An equity score of 43/100 ranks Sunnyside Unified District (4407) #158 of 437 districts in Arizona (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $9,713 per pupil, Sunnyside Unified District (4407) ranks #416 of 634 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending (Arizona districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

14,541
Total Enrollment
22
Schools
$9,713
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) operates 22 public schools serving 14,541 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Arizona. The school portfolio breaks down into 11 elementary, 7 combined, 2 high, 2 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage 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 Pima County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $9,713 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 18.6% local, 48.9% state, and 32.5% 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 43/100, ranked #158 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.

Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 22 schools offering Advanced Placement (15 AP courses district-wide), a 422.5:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 73.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 88.5% Hispanic or Latino, 3.4% White, 2.8% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Santa Clara Elementary School, with a diversity index of 43.2/100.

Its largest campus is Sunnyside High School, enrolling 2,258 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Sunnyside Online Success Academy, at 107 students, a 21x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Sunnyside High School accounts for 15.5% of all Sunnyside Unified District (4407) student enrollment

That concentration means Sunnyside Unified District (4407)-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) school enrollment varies 21× across entities

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) school enrollment ranges from 107 students (lowest) to 2,258 students (highest), a spread of 2,151 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.

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

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 70.7% 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

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) student-counselor ratio is 423:1 — 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

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) chronic absenteeism rate is 73.5% — 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?

32.5%
Federal
48.9%
State
18.6%
Local

Funding Equity

43
Equity Score
158 / 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 22 schools in Sunnyside Unified District (4407).

White 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino 88.5%
African American 2.8%
Multiracial 1.7%
Other 3.2%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 20.7/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Sunnyside Unified District (4407)'s schools, below the Arizona average of 47.2.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Santa Clara Elementary School 43.2
  2. 2 Craycroft Elementary School 37.6
  3. 3 Los Ninos Elementary School 34.4
  4. 4 Billy Lane Lauffer Middle School 31.4
  5. 5 Star Academic High School 29.0

Programs & Resources

2 / 22
Schools with AP
15 AP courses total
422.5:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
73.5%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Sunnyside Unified District (4407)

School Enrollment
Sunnyside High School
2,258
Desert View High School
2,102
Sierra 2-8 School
801
Gallego Intermediate Fine Arts Magnet School
768
Elvira Elementary School
642
Los Amigos Elementary School
613
Challenger Middle School
590
Craycroft Elementary School
586
Drexel Elementary School
515
Gallego Primary Fine Arts Magnet
503
Liberty Elementary School
490
Apollo Middle School
480
Mission Manor Elementary School
475
Los Ninos Elementary School
456
Rivera Elementary
454
Esperanza Elementary School
437
Billy Lane Lauffer Middle School
435
Santa Clara Elementary School
422
Summit View Elementary
403
Ocotillo Early Learning Elementary School
284
Star Academic High School
265
Sunnyside Online Success Academy
107

How Sunnyside Unified District (4407) Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Arizona districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Vail Unified District (4413) Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Kyrene Elementary District (4267) Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Cartwright Elementary District (4282) Similar size Higher spending Similar funding mix
Queen Creek Unified District (4245) Similar size Similar spending More locally funded
Tolleson Union High School District (4288) Similar size Similar spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Sunnyside Unified District (4407)'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 Sunnyside Unified District (4407)

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Sunnyside Unified District (4407)?

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) has 22 schools, including 2 high, 11 elementary, 2 middle, 7 combined. Total enrollment is 14,541 students.

How much does Sunnyside Unified District (4407) spend per student?

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) spends $9,713 per student. The district has an equity score of 43/100, ranking #158 in Arizona.

What is the demographic composition of Sunnyside Unified District (4407)?

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) students are 88.5% Hispanic or Latino, 3.4% White, 2.8% African American, 0.3% Asian, averaged across 22 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Sunnyside Unified District (4407)?

Sunnyside Unified District (4407) has an equity score of 43/100, ranking #158 out of 437 districts in Arizona.