Enrollment
338
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cave Creek, AZ
Desert Willow Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Desert Willow Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040000101872
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Desert Willow Elementary School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% of Arizona schools.
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.5:1
- small classes for Arizona
- 4.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 338
- students enrolled
Desert Willow Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Arizona schools. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Cave Creek Unified District (4244) · Arizona
NCES ID 040000101872 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-90% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Desert Willow Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Desert Willow Elementary School
Desert Willow Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Cave Creek, Arizona, enrolling 338 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arizona schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 4.8% free-meal eligibility runs 90% below the Arizona average.
With 338 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Among 52 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #45, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 46/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Cave Creek Unified District (4244) spends $8,436 per pupil, 36% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Cave Creek's elementary schools, it stands alongside Lone Mountain Elementary School (376 students): Desert Willow Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.5:1 vs 16.3:1).
Cave Creek Unified District (4244) also operates Cactus Shadows High School (1,362 students) and Sonoran Trails Middle School (615 students) alongside Desert Willow 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 Willow Elementary School compares
Desert Willow Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.5:1 | ▼ 21% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.8% | ▼ 90% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 338 | top 59% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
338
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
4.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 90% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 24% in Arizona - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
61.5%
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
$8,436
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 + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino 21.0%
Two or More 6.2%
Asian 2.7%
Largest group: White at 70.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.0, Desert Willow Elementary School is about as mixed as the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cave Creek Unified District (4244), which includes Desert Willow Elementary School.
$8,436
Per student
-36%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-49%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 65.6%
State 24.9%
Federal 9.4%
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 Willow Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cactus Shadows High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sonoran Trails Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Black Mountain Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horseshoe Trails Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lone Mountain Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Desert Willow Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,362
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 496
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 424
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 376
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
Similar elementary schools in Cave Creek
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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.
Similar enrollment (~338 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Desert Willow Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Desert Willow Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Cave Creek Unified District (4244)'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 Willow Elementary School
How many students attend Desert Willow Elementary School?
Desert Willow Elementary School has 338 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cave Creek, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Desert Willow Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Desert Willow Elementary School is 13.5:1, which is 21% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 14% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Desert Willow Elementary School?
4.8% of students at Desert Willow Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Desert Willow Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Desert Willow Elementary School is White at 70.1% of enrollment, in Cave Creek, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Desert Willow Elementary School?
Desert Willow Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Desert Willow Elementary School a good school?
Desert Willow Elementary School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% of Arizona schools. 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 Cave Creek Unified District (4244)?
Besides Desert Willow Elementary School, Cave Creek Unified District (4244) also operates Cactus Shadows High School (1,362 students), Sonoran Trails Middle School (615 students), and Black Mountain Elementary School (496 students). See the Cave Creek Unified District (4244) 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.