Enrollment
795
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Gilbert, AZ
Cooley Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Cooley Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 040378003381
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cooley Middle School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.
- #2 of 4
- middle schools in Gilbert · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 17.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Cooley Middle School has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cooley Middle School ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in Gilbert, AZ.
School address
District: Higley Unified School District (4248) · Arizona
NCES ID 040378003381 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
17.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-65% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cooley Middle School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cooley Middle School
Cooley Middle School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Gilbert, Arizona, enrolling 795 students.
At 15.6:1, 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.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 17.0% free-meal eligibility runs 65% below the Arizona average.
Enrollment of 795 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 241 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #116.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 398 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Higley Unified School District (4248) spends $8,545 per pupil, 35% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Higley Unified School District (4248) also operates Williams Field High School (2,150 students) and Higley High School (2,005 students) alongside Cooley Middle 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 Cooley Middle School compares
Cooley Middle 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 | 15.6:1 | ▼ 8% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 17.0% | ▼ 65% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 795 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
795
Bigger than 85% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
17.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 65% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 42% in Arizona - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
54.8%
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
$8,545
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 398 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 91 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
- 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
White 52.6%
Hispanic or Latino 26.4%
African American 7.7%
Two or More 7.4%
Asian 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: White at 52.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.0, Cooley Middle School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Higley Unified School District (4248), which includes Cooley Middle School.
$8,545
Per student
-35%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-49%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.1%
State 48.7%
Federal 11.2%
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 Cooley Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Williams Field High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Higley High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sossaman Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| San Tan Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bridges Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cooley Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,150
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 2,005
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,094
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar middle 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 (~795 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cooley Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Cooley Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Higley Unified School District (4248)'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 Cooley Middle School
How many students attend Cooley Middle School?
Cooley Middle School has 795 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Gilbert, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cooley Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cooley Middle School is 15.6:1, which is 8% 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 Cooley Middle School?
17.0% of students at Cooley Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cooley Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Cooley Middle School is White at 52.6% of enrollment, in Gilbert, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cooley Middle School?
Cooley Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cooley Middle School rank among middle schools in Gilbert?
By Resource Investment Index, Cooley Middle School ranks #2 of 4 middle schools in Gilbert, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Gilbert on the city page.
Is Cooley Middle School a good school?
Cooley Middle School earns 32/100 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 Higley Unified School District (4248)?
Besides Cooley Middle School, Higley Unified School District (4248) also operates Williams Field High School (2,150 students), Higley High School (2,005 students), and Sossaman Middle School (1,094 students). See the Higley Unified School District (4248) 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.