Enrollment
675
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040621000304
Desert Mirage Elementary School — Glendale, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Desert Mirage Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 99
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: Pendergast Elementary District (4283) · 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Mirage Elementary School 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 Mirage Elementary School reports 675 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 20% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the Arizona average and 9% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 675 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 0.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pendergast Elementary District (4283) spends $12,408 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.1% from local sources (property taxes), 49.4% from the state, and 22.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D), 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 Desert Mirage Elementary School 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 | 19.1:1 | ▲ 8% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.9% | ▼ 3% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 675 | top 77% | — | — |
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
46.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.1:1
students per teacher
— 8% above state mean
Top 65% in Arizona — lower ratio than 35% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
0.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$12,408
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 675 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 675 Top 77% in Arizona — larger than 23% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 19.1:1 +8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.9% -3% vs state
NCES ID 040621000304
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 76.4%
White 10.1%
African American 5.6%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 76.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 675:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 0.6%
In-school suspensions 13
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pendergast Elementary District (4283), which includes Desert Mirage Elementary School.
$12,408
Per student
-18%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.1%
State 49.4%
Federal 22.5%
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
- 941
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 932
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 738
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 690
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
Similar other schools in Glendale
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mountain Ridge High School
Standard public school
2,823 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Ironwood High School
Standard public school
1,804 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Deer Valley High School
Standard public school
1,707 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Raymond S. Kellis
Standard public school
1,691 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Highland Lakes School
Standard public school
1,091 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Cactus High School
Standard public school
1,036 students 19.1:1 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 Mirage Elementary School
How many students attend Desert Mirage Elementary School?
Desert Mirage Elementary School has 675 students enrolled. It is a other school in GLENDALE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Mirage Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Mirage Elementary School is 19.1:1, which is 8% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Mirage Elementary School?
46.9% of students at Desert Mirage Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Mirage Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Desert Mirage Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 76.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in GLENDALE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Mirage Elementary School?
Desert Mirage Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) 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.