Enrollment
406
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040789001565
Desert Sonora Elementary School — Somerton, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Desert Sonora Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 19
📋 Attendance 0
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: Somerton Elementary District (4500) · 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Sonora 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 Sonora Elementary School reports 406 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% 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 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 74.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 55% above the Arizona average and 45% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 406 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Somerton Elementary District (4500) spends $13,398 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 6.5% from local sources (property taxes), 61.5% from the state, and 32.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F), 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 Sonora 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 | 17.6:1 | ▼ 1% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.9% | ▲ 55% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 406 | top 49% | — | — |
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
74.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 55% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 52% in Arizona — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,398
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 406 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 406 Top 49% in Arizona — larger than 51% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 74.9% +55% vs state
NCES ID 040789001565
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 97.3%
White 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 406:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.3%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Somerton Elementary District (4500), which includes Desert Sonora Elementary School.
$13,398
Per student
-11%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 6.5%
State 61.5%
Federal 32.0%
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
- 697
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 579
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 412
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 9.4:1
Similar other schools in Somerton
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Sonora Elementary School
How many students attend Desert Sonora Elementary School?
Desert Sonora Elementary School has 406 students enrolled. It is a other school in Somerton, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Sonora Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Sonora Elementary School is 17.6:1, which is 1% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 11% higher 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 Sonora Elementary School?
74.9% of students at Desert Sonora Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Sonora Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Desert Sonora Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 97.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Somerton, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Sonora Elementary School?
Desert Sonora Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (F) 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.