Enrollment
245
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040880000890
Harold Steele Elementary School — Tucson, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Harold Steele Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 31/100.
👥 Class size 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 8
📋 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: Tucson Unified District (4403) · 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
13.2:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-25% 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
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
Harold Steele Elementary School reports 245 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 17% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% above the Arizona average and 21% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 462 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 66.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tucson Unified District (4403) spends $13,118 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.8% from local sources (property taxes), 34.7% from the state, and 23.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Harold Steele Elementary School 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 | 13.2:1 | ▼ 25% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.9% | ▲ 30% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 245 | top 32% | — | — |
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
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
13.2:1
students per teacher
— 25% below state mean
Top 17% in Arizona — lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
66.1%
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
$13,118
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 462 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 245 Top 32% in Arizona — larger than 68% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 13.2:1 -25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.9% +30% vs state
NCES ID 040880000890
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 462:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 66.1%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tucson Unified District (4403), which includes Harold Steele Elementary School.
$13,118
Per student
-13%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,938
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,821
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,575
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,250
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,184
- Students per teacher
- 66:1
Similar other schools in Tucson
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Tucson Magnet High School
Standard public school
2,938 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Pueblo High School
Standard public school
1,821 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Cholla High School
Standard public school
1,575 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Sahuaro High School
Standard public school
1,250 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Catalina Online Learning Experience
Standard public school
1,184 students 66:1 students per teacher
Rincon High School
Standard public school
1,109 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
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 Harold Steele Elementary School
How many students attend Harold Steele Elementary School?
Harold Steele Elementary School has 245 students enrolled. It is a other 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 13.2:1, which is 25% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 17% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in TUCSON, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Harold Steele Elementary School?
Harold Steele Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.