Enrollment
31
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Tucson, AZ
Highland Free School
Federal NCES profile for Highland Free School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040027502077Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland Free School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools.
- #48 of 54
- elementary schools in Tucson · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 31
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Free School ranks #48 of 54 elementary schools in Tucson, AZ.
School address
District: Highland Free School (79061) · Arizona
NCES ID 040027502077 Verify on NCES CCD record →
What stands out at Highland Free School
Highland Free School is a small charter elementary school in Tucson, Arizona, enrolling 31 students.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Arizona schools, with 31 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (39%) and White (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Tucson's elementary schools, it stands alongside Los Amigos Elementary School (613 students): Highland Free School is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Highland Free School (79061) is a single-school charter district, so Highland Free School operates independently rather than alongside district-mates. At 31 students, it is also a small operation, on the smaller end of Arizona's single-school districts.
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 Highland Free School compares
Highland Free School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 31 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
31
Bigger than 4% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Engagement
48.4%
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
$12,929
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
Counselors0.0 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
- 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 38.7%
White 35.5%
African American 12.9%
Two or More 12.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 38.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.1, Highland Free School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Highland Free School (79061), which includes Highland Free School.
$12,929
Per student
-2%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 11.9%
State 68.4%
Federal 19.8%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Tucson
5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Los Amigos Elementary School
Standard public school
613 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Sonoran Science Academy East
Standard public school
467 students
Legacy Traditional School - East Tucson
Standard public school
439 students
Summit View Elementary
Standard public school
403 students 19.2:1 students per teacher
Da Vinci Tree Academy
Standard public school
265 students
Similar elementary 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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland Free School's federal record.
- Compare Highland Free School against another school. Compare schools
- Highland Free School (79061)'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 Highland Free School
How many students attend Highland Free School?
Highland Free School has 31 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Tucson, AZ.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland Free School?
The largest demographic group at Highland Free School is Hispanic or Latino at 38.7% of enrollment, in Tucson, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland Free School?
Highland Free School has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Highland Free School rank among elementary schools in Tucson?
By Resource Investment Index, Highland Free School ranks #48 of 54 elementary 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 elementary schools in Tucson on the city page.
Is Highland Free School a good school?
Highland Free School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Highland Free School (79061)?
None; Highland Free School (79061) is a single-school charter district, and Highland Free School is its only campus.
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.