Enrollment
1,049
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Surprise, AZ
Arizona Charter Academy
Federal NCES profile for Arizona Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 10/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040032602162Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Arizona Charter Academy earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #8 of 8
- elementary schools in Surprise · Resource Index
- 10
- Resource Index · Lower
- 55.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,049
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Arizona Charter Academy ranks #8 of 8 elementary schools in Surprise, AZ.
School address
District: Success School (79453) · Arizona
NCES ID 040032602162 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
55.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+14% vs state
What stands out at Arizona Charter Academy
Arizona Charter Academy is a higher-need, large charter elementary school in Surprise, Arizona, enrolling 1,049 students.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.0% lands close to the Arizona typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Arizona, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,049 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 152 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #150, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (68%) and White (17%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1049 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Success School (79453) spends $9,442 per pupil, 28% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 21.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Surprise's elementary schools, it stands alongside Legacy Traditional School - West Surprise (1,231 students): Arizona Charter Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Success School (79453) is a single-school charter district, so Arizona Charter Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Arizona Charter Academy compares
Arizona Charter Academy on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.0% | ▲ 14% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,049 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
1,049
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 14% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
47.7%
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
$9,442
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 1049 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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 68.0%
White 17.4%
African American 9.9%
Two or More 3.1%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 68.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.6, Arizona Charter Academy is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Success School (79453), which includes Arizona Charter Academy.
$9,442
Per student
-28%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.9%
State 75.9%
Federal 21.2%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Surprise
1 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 Arizona Charter Academy's federal record.
- Compare Arizona Charter Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Success School (79453)'s spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Arizona Charter Academy
How many students attend Arizona Charter Academy?
Arizona Charter Academy has 1,049 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Surprise, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Arizona Charter Academy?
55.0% of students at Arizona Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Arizona Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Arizona Charter Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 68.0% of enrollment, in Surprise, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Arizona Charter Academy?
Arizona Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Arizona Charter Academy rank among elementary schools in Surprise?
By Resource Investment Index, Arizona Charter Academy ranks #8 of 8 elementary schools in Surprise, 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 Surprise on the city page.
Is Arizona Charter Academy a good school?
Arizona Charter Academy earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Success School (79453)?
None; Success School (79453) is a single-school charter district, and Arizona Charter Academy is its only campus.
Related tools
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.