Enrollment
309
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040331000255
Gila Bend Elementary — Gila Bend, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Gila Bend Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 21/100.
👥 Class size 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 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: Gila Bend Unified District (4238) · 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-7% 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
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
Gila Bend Elementary reports 309 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 107% above the Arizona average and 93% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 65.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gila Bend Unified District (4238) spends $15,595 per pupil district-wide, above the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 71.0% from local sources (property taxes), 12.8% from the state, and 16.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Gila Bend Elementary 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 7% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 107% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 309 | top 39% | — | — |
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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 107% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 41% in Arizona — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
65.7%
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
$15,595
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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
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
Enrollment 309 Top 39% in Arizona — larger than 61% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 16.4:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +107% vs state
NCES ID 040331000255
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 65.7%
In-school suspensions 40
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gila Bend Unified District (4238), which includes Gila Bend Elementary.
$15,595
Per student
+3%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 172
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
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 Gila Bend Elementary
How many students attend Gila Bend Elementary?
Gila Bend Elementary has 309 students enrolled. It is a other school in Gila Bend, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gila Bend Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Gila Bend Elementary is 16.4:1, which is 7% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 3% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Gila Bend, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gila Bend Elementary?
Gila Bend Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 21/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.