Enrollment
309
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gila Bend, AZ
Gila Bend Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Gila Bend Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040331000255
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gila Bend Elementary earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 309
- students enrolled
Gila Bend Elementary has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Gila Bend Unified District (4238) · Arizona
NCES ID 040331000255 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+107% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gila Bend Elementary compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gila Bend Elementary
Gila Bend Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Gila Bend, Arizona, enrolling 309 students.
At 16.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arizona median, within a few percentage points of the 17:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 100.0% of students qualify for free meals, 107% above the Arizona average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 309 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.
Against 27 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #19.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (67%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (22%) (diversity index 50/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 65.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Gila Bend Unified District (4238), also runs Gila Bend High School (172 students).
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 Gila Bend Elementary compares
Gila Bend Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▼ 4% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 107% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 309 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
309
Bigger than 34% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 107% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 48% in Arizona - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
65.7%
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
$13,389
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arizona avg of $13,145
Somewhat 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
40
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.5 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
Hispanic or Latino 67.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 21.7%
White 6.8%
Asian 1.9%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 67.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.5, Gila Bend Elementary is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gila Bend Unified District (4238), which includes Gila Bend Elementary.
$13,389
Per student
+2%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 71.0%
State 12.8%
Federal 16.2%
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.
How Gila Bend Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gila Bend High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gila Bend Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 172
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~309 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gila Bend Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Gila Bend Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Gila Bend Unified District (4238)'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 Gila Bend Elementary
How many students attend Gila Bend Elementary?
Gila Bend Elementary has 309 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gila Bend, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gila Bend Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Gila Bend Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 4% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 4% higher 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 Gila Bend Elementary?
100.0% of students at Gila Bend Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gila Bend Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Gila Bend Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 67.3% of enrollment, in Gila Bend, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gila Bend Elementary?
Gila Bend Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (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 Gila Bend Elementary a good school?
Gila Bend Elementary earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median. 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 Gila Bend Unified District (4238)?
Besides Gila Bend Elementary, Gila Bend Unified District (4238) also operates Gila Bend High School (172 students). See the Gila Bend Unified District (4238) 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.