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

Centennial Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Centennial Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040301001489
0/100100/10036/100
👥 S:T ratio
38
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Centennial Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.

#13 of 54
elementary schools in Tucson · Resource Index
36
Resource Index · Typical
15.5:1
students per teacher
67.0%
free-lunch eligible

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

By Resource Investment Index, Centennial Elementary School ranks #13 of 54 elementary schools in Tucson, AZ.

Enrollment

434

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

28.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

15.5:1

vs 17:1 Arizona avg

-9% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

67.0%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

+39% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Centennial Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians

At or below 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 Centennial Elementary School

Centennial Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Tucson, Arizona, enrolling 434 students.

At 15.5:1, 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 runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 67.0% of students eligible for free meals.

With 434 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.

Against 325 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #104.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (72%) and White (23%) (diversity index 42/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Flowing Wells Unified District (4405) spends $9,504 per pupil, 28% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 21.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Tucson's elementary schools, it stands alongside Los Amigos Elementary School (613 students): Centennial Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.5:1 vs 17.5:1).

Flowing Wells Unified District (4405) also operates Flowing Wells High School (1,742 students) and Flowing Wells Junior High School (758 students) alongside Centennial 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 Centennial Elementary School compares

Centennial 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 15.5:1 ▼ 9% 17:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 67.0% ▲ 39% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 434 top 47% - -

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

15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
434
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
67.0%
free-lunch eligible - 39% 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
15.5:1
students per teacher - 9% below state mean
Top 41% in Arizona - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
45.9%
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
$9,504
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
1
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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 72.4%
White 22.6%
Two or More 2.8%
African American 1.2%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 42.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 42.4, Centennial Elementary School is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Flowing Wells Unified District (4405), which includes Centennial Elementary School.

$9,504
Per student
-28%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.6%
State 46.7%
Federal 21.6%

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.

How Centennial Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Flowing Wells High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Flowing Wells Junior High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Douglas Elementary School Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
J Robert Hendricks Elementary School Similar size Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Laguna Elementary School Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Flowing Wells Unified District (4405) · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Tucson

5 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 Centennial 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 Centennial Elementary School

How many students attend Centennial Elementary School?

Centennial Elementary School has 434 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Tucson, AZ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Centennial Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Centennial Elementary School is 15.5:1, which is 9% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Centennial Elementary School?

67.0% of students at Centennial Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Centennial Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Centennial Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 72.4% of enrollment, in Tucson, AZ.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Centennial Elementary School?

Centennial Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Centennial Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Tucson?

By Resource Investment Index, Centennial Elementary School ranks #13 of 54 elementary schools in Tucson, 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 Tucson on the city page.

Is Centennial Elementary School a good school?

Centennial Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median. 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 Flowing Wells Unified District (4405)?

Besides Centennial Elementary School, Flowing Wells Unified District (4405) also operates Flowing Wells High School (1,742 students), Flowing Wells Junior High School (758 students), and Douglas Elementary School (503 students). See the Flowing Wells Unified District (4405) 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.