Enrollment
76
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040378003417
Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center — Gilbert, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 75
🌟 Gifted program 30
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: Higley Unified School District (4248) · 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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.2:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center 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
Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center reports 76 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 6.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 65% 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 61% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 26% below the Arizona average and 31% below the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Higley Unified School District (4248) spends $10,123 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.1% from local sources (property taxes), 48.7% from the state, and 11.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 2 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 Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center 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 | 6.2:1 | ▼ 65% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.8% | ▼ 26% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 76 | top 15% | — | — |
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
35.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 26% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
6.2:1
students per teacher
— 65% below state mean
Top 3% in Arizona — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$10,123
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
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
Enrollment 76 Top 15% in Arizona — larger than 85% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 6.2:1 -65% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.8% -26% vs state
NCES ID 040378003417
Student demographics
White 53.9%
Hispanic or Latino 30.3%
Asian 6.6%
Two or More 6.6%
African American 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Largest group: White at 53.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Higley Unified School District (4248), which includes Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center.
$10,123
Per student
-33%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-48%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.1%
State 48.7%
Federal 11.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,150
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 2,005
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 1,094
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 854
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 795
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
Similar other schools in Gilbert
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Highland High School
Standard public school
2,992 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Gilbert High School
Standard public school
2,418 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Perry High School
Standard public school
2,373 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
American Leadership Academy Gilbert North K-12
Standard public school
2,357 students
Higley High School
Standard public school
2,005 students 21:1 students per teacher
Arizona Connections Academy
Standard public school
1,891 students
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 Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center
How many students attend Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center?
Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center has 76 students enrolled. It is a other school in GILBERT, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center is 6.2:1, which is 65% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 61% lower 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 Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center?
35.8% of students at Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center?
The largest demographic group at Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center is White at 53.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in GILBERT, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center?
Elona P. Cooley Early Child Development Center has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.