Enrollment
245
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tucson, AZ
Harold Steele Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Harold Steele Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040880000890
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Harold Steele Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of Arizona schools.
- #83 of 131
- schools in Tucson · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.9:1
- small classes for Arizona
- 62.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Harold Steele Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 80% of Arizona schools. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Harold Steele Elementary School ranks #83 of 131 schools in Tucson, AZ.
School address
District: Tucson Unified District (4403) · Arizona
NCES ID 040880000890 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Harold Steele Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Harold Steele Elementary School
Harold Steele Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Tucson, Arizona, enrolling 245 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arizona schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 62.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 245 puts it in the smaller third of Arizona schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 151 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #92.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (52%) and White (27%) (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 462 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 66.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Tucson's public schools, it stands alongside Craycroft Elementary School (586 students): Harold Steele Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.9:1 vs 21.7:1).
Tucson Unified District (4403) also operates Tucson Magnet High School (2,938 students) and Pueblo High School (1,821 students) alongside Harold Steele 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 Harold Steele Elementary School compares
Harold Steele 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 | 12.9:1 | ▼ 24% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.9% | ▲ 30% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 245 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
245
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 30% 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
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 20% in Arizona - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
66.1%
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
$11,545
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 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 52.2%
White 27.3%
African American 11.4%
Two or More 7.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 52.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.5, Harold Steele Elementary School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tucson Unified District (4403), which includes Harold Steele Elementary School.
$11,545
Per student
-12%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.8%
State 34.7%
Federal 23.6%
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 Harold Steele Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson Magnet High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pueblo High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cholla High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sahuaro High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Catalina Online Learning Experience | Larger | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Harold Steele Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,938
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,821
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,575
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,250
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,184
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 15/100
Similar other schools in Tucson
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~245 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Harold Steele Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Harold Steele Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Tucson Unified District (4403)'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 Harold Steele Elementary School
How many students attend Harold Steele Elementary School?
Harold Steele Elementary School has 245 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tucson, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Harold Steele Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Harold Steele Elementary School is 12.9:1, which is 24% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 18% 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 Harold Steele Elementary School?
62.9% of students at Harold Steele Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Harold Steele Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Harold Steele Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 52.2% of enrollment, in Tucson, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harold Steele Elementary School?
Harold Steele Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Harold Steele Elementary School rank among schools in Tucson?
By Resource Investment Index, Harold Steele Elementary School ranks #83 of 131 schools in Tucson, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tucson on the city page.
Is Harold Steele Elementary School a good school?
Harold Steele Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Tucson Unified District (4403)?
Besides Harold Steele Elementary School, Tucson Unified District (4403) also operates Tucson Magnet High School (2,938 students), Pueblo High School (1,821 students), and Cholla High School (1,575 students). See the Tucson Unified District (4403) 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.