Elementary school (grades K-5) · Phoenix, AZ

Alta Vista Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Alta Vista Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040906000916
0/100100/10034/100
👥 S:T ratio
32
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Alta Vista Elementary School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools.

#23 of 116
elementary schools in Phoenix · Resource Index
34
Resource Index · Typical
17.1:1
students per teacher
76.9%
free-lunch eligible

Alta Vista Elementary School has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Alta Vista Elementary School ranks #23 of 116 elementary schools in Phoenix, AZ.

Enrollment

531

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

31.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.1:1

vs 17:1 Arizona avg

+1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

76.9%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

+59% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Alta Vista Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Alta Vista Elementary School

Alta Vista Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona, enrolling 531 students.

At 17.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arizona median, within a few percentage points of the 17:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Economic need is high: 76.9% of students qualify for free meals, 59% above the Arizona average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 531 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,064 scored Arizona schools.

Against 288 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #76.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and African American (27%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 72.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 24.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Phoenix's elementary schools, it stands alongside Academy of Math and Science Avondale (1,175 students): Alta Vista Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount.

Washington Elementary School District (4260) also operates Lookout Mountain School (979 students) and Mountain View Elementary School (903 students) alongside Alta Vista Elementary School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Alta Vista Elementary School compares

Alta Vista Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Arizona Arizona avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17.1:1 ▲ 1% 17:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 76.9% ▲ 59% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 531 top 36% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.1:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
531
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
76.9%
free-lunch eligible - 59% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.1:1
students per teacher - 1% above state mean
Top 55% in Arizona - lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
72.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,856
per pupil, district-wide - below Arizona avg of $13,145
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
42
in-school suspensions + 35 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 48.0%
African American 26.7%
White 10.0%
Asian 10.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
Two or More 2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 67.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 67.7, Alta Vista Elementary School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington Elementary School District (4260), which includes Alta Vista Elementary School.

$10,856
Per student
-17%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.7%
State 45.6%
Federal 24.8%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Alta Vista Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Lookout Mountain School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mountain View Elementary School Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Acacia Elementary School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Orangewood School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Palo Verde Middle School Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Alta Vista Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Washington Elementary School District (4260) · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Phoenix

6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Arizona, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Alta Vista Elementary School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Alta Vista Elementary School

How many students attend Alta Vista Elementary School?

Alta Vista Elementary School has 531 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Phoenix, AZ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Alta Vista Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Alta Vista Elementary School is 17.1:1, which is 1% higher than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alta Vista Elementary School?

76.9% of students at Alta Vista Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alta Vista Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Alta Vista Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 48.0% of enrollment, in Phoenix, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Alta Vista Elementary School?

Alta Vista Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Alta Vista Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Phoenix?

By Resource Investment Index, Alta Vista Elementary School ranks #23 of 116 elementary schools in Phoenix, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Phoenix on the city page.

Is Alta Vista Elementary School a good school?

Alta Vista Elementary School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Washington Elementary School District (4260)?

Besides Alta Vista Elementary School, Washington Elementary School District (4260) also operates Lookout Mountain School (979 students), Mountain View Elementary School (903 students), and Acacia Elementary School (806 students). See the Washington Elementary School District (4260) district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.