Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)

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.

Tuba City, Arizona - 6 schools

An equity score of 84/100 ranks Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) #9 of 437 districts in Arizona (state average 38). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $16,380 per pupil, Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) ranks #109 of 634 Arizona districts by per-pupil spending (Arizona districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,472
Total Enrollment
6
Schools
$16,380
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) operates 6 public schools serving 1,472 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arizona. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 combined, 2 high, 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 Coconino County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,380 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 10.1% local, 27.8% state, and 62.1% 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 #9 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.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 6 schools offering Advanced Placement (2 AP courses district-wide), a 94.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 74.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 1.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Dzil Libei Elementary School, with a diversity index of 13.2/100.

Its largest campus is Tuba City High School, enrolling 666 students (48% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Dzil Libei Elementary School, at 14 students, a 48x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Tuba City High School accounts for 45.2% of all Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) student enrollment

That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) a distant remainder — means Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)-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

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) school enrollment varies 48× across entities

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) school enrollment ranges from 14 students (lowest) to 666 students (highest), a spread of 652 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. 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

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 79.4% 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). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. 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

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) student-counselor ratio is 95:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)

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 below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.

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

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) chronic absenteeism rate is 74.3% — 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?

62.1%
Federal
27.8%
State
10.1%
Local

Funding Equity

84
Equity Score
9 / 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 6 schools in Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197).

Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
Asian 0.7%
Other 97.8%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 4.4/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)'s schools, below the Arizona average of 47.2.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Dzil Libei Elementary School 13.2
  2. 2 Tuba City Elementary School 6.6
  3. 3 Tuba City High School 3.4
  4. 4 Tuba City Junior High School 3.4
  5. 5 Nizhoni Accelerated Academy 0.0

Programs & Resources

1 / 6
Schools with AP
2 AP courses total
94.7:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
74.3%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)

School Enrollment
Tuba City High School
666
Tuba City Elementary School
406
Tuba City Junior High School
230
Nizhoni Accelerated Academy
36
Tsinaabaas Habitiin Elementary School
29
Dzil Libei Elementary School
14

How Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Arizona districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Morenci Unified District (4230) Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Ombudsman Educational Services Ltd.a Subsidiary (4323) Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
San Carlos Unified District (4210) Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Legacy Traditional School - Casa Grande (92199) Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Benson Unified School District (79226) Similar size Lower spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)'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 Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)?

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) has 6 schools, including 2 high, 3 combined, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 1,472 students.

How much does Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) spend per student?

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) spends $16,380 per student. The district has an equity score of 84/100, ranking #9 in Arizona.

What is the demographic composition of Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)?

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) students are 1.2% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, 0.2% White, 0.1% African American, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197)?

Tuba City Unified School District #15 (4197) has an equity score of 84/100, ranking #9 out of 437 districts in Arizona.