Enrollment
868
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Glendale, AZ
Desert Heights Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Desert Heights Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040061002056Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Heights Charter School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #3 of 46
- schools in Glendale · Resource Index
- 57
- Resource Index · Higher
- 22.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 868
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Heights Charter School ranks #3 of 46 schools in Glendale, AZ.
School address
District: Desert Heights Charter Schools (81099) · Arizona
NCES ID 040061002056 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
22.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-53% vs state
What stands out at Desert Heights Charter School
Desert Heights Charter School is a large charter combined-grade school in Glendale, Arizona, enrolling 868 students.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 22.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 868 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 241 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #3, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (50%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 62/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Desert Heights Charter Schools (81099) spends $9,686 per pupil, 26% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.8% 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 Heights Charter School is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Desert Heights Charter Schools (81099) is a single-school charter district, so Desert Heights Charter School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Heights Charter School compares
Desert Heights Charter 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 | 22.9% | ▼ 53% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 868 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
868
Bigger than 88% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 53% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Engagement
22.1%
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
$9,686
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
37
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.6 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 50.2%
Hispanic or Latino 34.8%
Two or More 7.0%
African American 5.4%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 50.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.9, Desert Heights Charter School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Desert Heights Charter Schools (81099), which includes Desert Heights Charter School.
$9,686
Per student
-26%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.3%
State 72.0%
Federal 16.8%
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.
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 Heights Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Desert Heights Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Desert Heights Charter Schools (81099)'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 Heights Charter School
How many students attend Desert Heights Charter School?
Desert Heights Charter School has 868 students enrolled. It is a public school in Glendale, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Heights Charter School?
22.9% of students at Desert Heights Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Heights Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Desert Heights Charter School is White at 50.2% of enrollment, in Glendale, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Heights Charter School?
Desert Heights Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. 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 Heights Charter School rank among schools in Glendale?
By Resource Investment Index, Desert Heights Charter School ranks #3 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 Heights Charter School a good school?
Desert Heights Charter School earns 57/100 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 Desert Heights Charter Schools (81099)?
None; Desert Heights Charter Schools (81099) is a single-school charter district, and Desert Heights Charter School is its only campus.
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.