Enrollment
580
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040880001261
Catalina High School — Tucson, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Catalina High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 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: Tucson Unified District (4403) · 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)
95.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.3:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-64% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Catalina High School 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
Catalina High School reports 580 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 95.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 6.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 64% below the Arizona state mean of 17.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 60% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 68.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% above the Arizona average and 33% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 290 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 91.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tucson Unified District (4403) spends $13,118 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.8% from local sources (property taxes), 34.7% from the state, and 23.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), 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 Catalina High School 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 | 6.3:1 | ▼ 64% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.8% | ▲ 42% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 580 | top 70% | — | — |
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
68.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
6.3:1
students per teacher
— 64% below state mean
Top 3% in Arizona — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
91.6%
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
$13,118
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 290 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 66 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 580 Top 70% in Arizona — larger than 30% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 95.0
Students per teacher 6.3:1 -64% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 68.8% +42% vs state
NCES ID 040880001261
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 45.9%
African American 25.3%
White 13.1%
Asian 5.2%
Two or More 4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 10
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 290:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 91.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 66
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tucson Unified District (4403), which includes Catalina High School.
$13,118
Per student
-13%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 41.8%
State 34.7%
Federal 23.6%
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
- 2,938
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,821
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,575
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,250
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,184
- Students per teacher
- 66:1
Similar other schools in Tucson
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Tucson Magnet High School
Standard public school
2,938 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Pueblo High School
Standard public school
1,821 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Cholla High School
Standard public school
1,575 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Sahuaro High School
Standard public school
1,250 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Catalina Online Learning Experience
Standard public school
1,184 students 66:1 students per teacher
Rincon High School
Standard public school
1,109 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
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 Catalina High School
How many students attend Catalina High School?
Catalina High School has 580 students enrolled. It is a other school in TUCSON, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Catalina High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Catalina High School is 6.3:1, which is 64% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 60% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Catalina High School?
68.8% of students at Catalina High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Catalina High School?
The largest demographic group at Catalina High School is Hispanic or Latino at 45.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in TUCSON, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Catalina High School?
Catalina High School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.