Enrollment
205
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Glendale, AZ
Desert Garden Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Desert Garden Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 70/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040342001254
🌟 Gifted program 70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Garden Elementary School earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #1 of 46
- schools in Glendale · Resource Index
- 70
- Resource Index · Higher
- 48.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 205
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Garden Elementary School ranks #1 of 46 schools in Glendale, AZ.
School address
District: Glendale Elementary District (4271) · Arizona
NCES ID 040342001254 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
48.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+1% vs state
What stands out at Desert Garden Elementary School
Desert Garden Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Glendale, Arizona, enrolling 205 students.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 48.8% lands close to the Arizona typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 205 puts it in the smaller third of Arizona schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 99 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #2, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (76%) and African American (8%) (diversity index 41/100).
The surrounding Glendale Elementary District (4271) spends $9,522 per pupil, 28% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 35.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Glendale's public schools, it stands alongside Sandra Day O'connor High School (2,658 students): Desert Garden Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Glendale Elementary District (4271) also operates Horizon School (856 students) and Challenger Middle School (839 students) alongside Desert Garden 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 Desert Garden Elementary School compares
Desert Garden Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 48.8% | ▲ 1% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 205 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
205
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
48.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Funding equity
$9,522
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
0
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.8 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 76.1%
African American 8.3%
White 6.8%
Asian 4.4%
Two or More 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.6, Desert Garden 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 Glendale Elementary District (4271), which includes Desert Garden Elementary School.
$9,522
Per student
-28%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.2%
State 46.6%
Federal 35.2%
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 Desert Garden Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon School | Larger | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Challenger Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| William C Jack School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Bicentennial South School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
| Harold W Smith School | Larger | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Desert Garden Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 856
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 839
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 811
- Students per teacher
- 24.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 729
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 719
- Students per teacher
- 27.7:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
Similar other schools in Glendale
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 Desert Garden Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Desert Garden Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Glendale Elementary District (4271)'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 Desert Garden Elementary School
How many students attend Desert Garden Elementary School?
Desert Garden Elementary School has 205 students enrolled. It is a public school in Glendale, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Garden Elementary School?
48.8% of students at Desert Garden Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Garden Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Desert Garden Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 76.1% of enrollment, in Glendale, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Garden Elementary School?
Desert Garden Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 70/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Desert Garden Elementary School rank among schools in Glendale?
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Garden Elementary School ranks #1 of 46 schools in Glendale, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Glendale on the city page.
Is Desert Garden Elementary School a good school?
Desert Garden Elementary School earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Glendale Elementary District (4271)?
Besides Desert Garden Elementary School, Glendale Elementary District (4271) also operates Horizon School (856 students), Challenger Middle School (839 students), and William C Jack School (811 students). See the Glendale Elementary District (4271) 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.