Enrollment
462
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 040060000015
Choice Learning Academy — Phoenix, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Choice Learning Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 16/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 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: Alhambra Elementary District (4280) · 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
90.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Choice Learning Academy 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
Choice Learning Academy reports 462 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 90.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 88% above the Arizona average and 75% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 462 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 76.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alhambra Elementary District (4280) spends $13,717 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 20.7% from local sources (property taxes), 42.7% from the state, and 36.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (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 Choice Learning Academy 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 | 18:1 | ▲ 2% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 90.9% | ▲ 88% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 462 | top 57% | — | — |
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
90.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 88% 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
18:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 56% in Arizona — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
76.8%
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
$13,717
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 462 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
134
in-school suspensions + 115 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 29.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 53.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 462 Top 57% in Arizona — larger than 43% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 18:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 90.9% +88% vs state
NCES ID 040060000015
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 69.3%
African American 16.7%
White 5.0%
Asian 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.0%
Two or More 1.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 462:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 76.8%
In-school suspensions 134
Out-of-school suspensions 115
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alhambra Elementary District (4280), which includes Choice Learning Academy.
$13,717
Per student
-9%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 20.7%
State 42.7%
Federal 36.6%
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
- 905
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Enrollment
- 847
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 842
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 717
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
Similar middle schools in Phoenix
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Mountain Trail Middle School
Standard public school
835 students 20:1 students per teacher
Palo Verde Middle School
Standard public school
797 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Ingleside Middle School
Standard public school
789 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Mountain Sky Middle School
Standard public school
672 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Estrella Middle School
Standard public school
650 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Greenway Middle School
Standard public school
646 students 16.8:1 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 Choice Learning Academy
How many students attend Choice Learning Academy?
Choice Learning Academy has 462 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Choice Learning Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Choice Learning Academy is 18:1, which is 2% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Choice Learning Academy?
90.9% of students at Choice Learning Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Choice Learning Academy?
The largest demographic group at Choice Learning Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 69.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Choice Learning Academy?
Choice Learning Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.