Enrollment
1,123
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Goodyear, AZ
Belen Soto Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Belen Soto Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 10/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040438003661
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Belen Soto Elementary School earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of Arizona schools.
- 10
- Resource Index · Lower
- 25.5:1
- large classes for Arizona
- 13.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,123
- students enrolled
Belen Soto Elementary School has class sizes larger than 95% of Arizona schools. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Litchfield Elementary District (4281) · Arizona
NCES ID 040438003661 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
25.5:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
+50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Belen Soto Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Belen Soto Elementary School
Belen Soto Elementary School is a lower-poverty, large combined-grade school in Goodyear, Arizona, enrolling 1,123 students.
Class loads run heavy: 25.5:1 is larger than about 95% of Arizona schools and 50% above the 17:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 13.9% free-meal eligibility runs 71% below the Arizona average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Arizona, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,123 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 146 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #144, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (45%) and White (43%) (diversity index 61/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 41.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Litchfield Elementary District (4281) spends $8,750 per pupil, 33% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Litchfield Elementary District (4281) also operates Verrado Heritage Elementary School (1,014 students) and Western Sky Middle School (952 students) alongside Belen Soto 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 Belen Soto Elementary School compares
Belen Soto 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 | 25.5:1 | ▲ 50% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.9% | ▼ 71% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,123 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
25.5:1
Leaner classes than 4% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,123
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
25.5:1
students per teacher
- 50% above state mean
Top 95% in Arizona - lower ratio than 5% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
41.9%
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
$8,750
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
101
in-school suspensions + 30 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.7 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 44.9%
White 42.5%
African American 4.8%
Two or More 4.5%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.3, Belen Soto Elementary School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Litchfield Elementary District (4281), which includes Belen Soto Elementary School.
$8,750
Per student
-33%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-47%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 50.0%
Federal 13.2%
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.
How Belen Soto Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verrado Heritage Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Western Sky Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Verrado Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wigwam Creek Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Verrado Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Belen Soto Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,014
- Students per teacher
- 24.1:1
- Resource Index
- 13/100
- Enrollment
- 952
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 847
- Students per teacher
- 21.7:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar other 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.
Similar enrollment (~1,123 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~25.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Belen Soto Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Belen Soto Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Litchfield Elementary District (4281)'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 Belen Soto Elementary School
How many students attend Belen Soto Elementary School?
Belen Soto Elementary School has 1,123 students enrolled. It is a public school in Goodyear, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Belen Soto Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Belen Soto Elementary School is 25.5:1, which is 50% higher than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 62% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Belen Soto Elementary School?
13.9% of students at Belen Soto Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Belen Soto Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Belen Soto Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 44.9% of enrollment, in Goodyear, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Belen Soto Elementary School?
Belen Soto Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (lower 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).
Is Belen Soto Elementary School a good school?
Belen Soto Elementary School earns 10/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 95% of 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 Litchfield Elementary District (4281)?
Besides Belen Soto Elementary School, Litchfield Elementary District (4281) also operates Verrado Heritage Elementary School (1,014 students), Western Sky Middle School (952 students), and Verrado Elementary School (847 students). See the Litchfield Elementary District (4281) district page for the complete list.
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.