Enrollment
453
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040757001671
Desert Canyon Elementary — Scottsdale, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Desert Canyon Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 59
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: Scottsdale Unified District (4240) · 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
5.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-88% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Canyon Elementary 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
Desert Canyon Elementary reports 453 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 5.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 88% below the Arizona average and 89% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Scottsdale Unified District (4240) spends $12,713 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.5% from local sources (property taxes), 19.1% from the state, and 12.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C), calculated from 3 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 Desert Canyon Elementary 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 18% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 5.8% | ▼ 88% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 453 | top 56% | — | — |
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
5.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 88% 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
14.6:1
students per teacher
— 18% below state mean
Top 27% in Arizona — lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
16.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,713
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
6
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 453 Top 56% in Arizona — larger than 44% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 14.6:1 -18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 5.8% -88% vs state
NCES ID 040757001671
Student demographics
White 69.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.1%
Two or More 9.1%
Asian 6.0%
African American 2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 69.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.6%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Scottsdale Unified District (4240), which includes Desert Canyon Elementary.
$12,713
Per student
-16%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.5%
State 19.1%
Federal 12.5%
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
- 1,905
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,773
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,679
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,300
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 953
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
Similar other schools in Scottsdale
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Horizon High School
Standard public school
1,767 students 23:1 students per teacher
Basis Scottsdale
Standard public school
1,023 students
Cheyenne Traditional School
Standard public school
953 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Cochise Elementary School
Standard public school
617 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Sequoya Elementary School
Standard public school
575 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Desert Shadows Elementary School
Standard public school
554 students 13.6:1 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 Desert Canyon Elementary
How many students attend Desert Canyon Elementary?
Desert Canyon Elementary has 453 students enrolled. It is a other school in SCOTTSDALE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Canyon Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Canyon Elementary is 14.6:1, which is 18% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 8% 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 Desert Canyon Elementary?
5.8% of students at Desert Canyon Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Canyon Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Desert Canyon Elementary is White at 69.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in SCOTTSDALE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Canyon Elementary?
Desert Canyon Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C) based on 3 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.