Enrollment
41
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 040021202444
Benson Digital Learning Center — Benson, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Benson Digital Learning Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 10/100.
👥 Class size 0
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Benson Unified School District (79226) · Arizona
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
1.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
43:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+143% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benson Digital Learning Center compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Benson Digital Learning Center reports 41 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 1.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 43:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 143% above the Arizona state mean of 17.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 170% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% below the Arizona average and 33% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Benson Unified School District (79226) spends $11,920 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.6% from local sources (property taxes), 45.7% from the state, and 18.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Benson Digital Learning Center compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Arizona state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 43:1 | ▲ 143% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.9% | ▼ 28% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 41 | top 10% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
34.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
43:1
students per teacher
— 143% above state mean
Top 99% in Arizona — lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
100.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,920
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arizona avg of $15,070
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 41 Top 10% in Arizona — larger than 90% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 1.0
Students per teacher 43:1 +143% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.9% -28% vs state
NCES ID 040021202444
Student demographics
White 53.7%
Hispanic or Latino 41.5%
African American 4.9%
Largest group: White at 53.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Benson Unified School District (79226), which includes Benson Digital Learning Center.
$11,920
Per student
-21%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.6%
State 45.7%
Federal 18.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 507
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 402
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 286
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 51
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar high schools in Benson
2 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Benson Digital Learning Center
How many students attend Benson Digital Learning Center?
Benson Digital Learning Center has 41 students enrolled. It is a high school in BENSON, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benson Digital Learning Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Benson Digital Learning Center is 43:1, which is 143% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 170% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benson Digital Learning Center?
34.9% of students at Benson Digital Learning Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benson Digital Learning Center?
The largest demographic group at Benson Digital Learning Center is White at 53.7%. The school serves a student body in BENSON, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benson Digital Learning Center?
Benson Digital Learning Center has a Resource Investment Index of 10/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.