Other / mixed grade configuration · Mesa, AZ

Holmes Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Holmes Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040497000391
0/100100/10040/100
👥 S:T ratio
44
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
46
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Holmes Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Arizona schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools.

#23 of 70
schools in Mesa · Resource Index
40
Resource Index · Typical
14.1:1
small classes for Arizona
66.0%
free-lunch eligible

Holmes Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 71% of Arizona schools. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Holmes Elementary School ranks #23 of 70 schools in Mesa, AZ.

Enrollment

536

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

38.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

14.1:1

vs 17:1 Arizona avg

-17% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

66.0%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

+37% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Holmes Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Holmes Elementary School

Holmes Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mesa, Arizona, enrolling 536 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arizona schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 66.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 536 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.

Against 341 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #51.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (88% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 22/100).

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 268 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Mesa's public schools, it stands alongside Eastmark High School (1,889 students): Holmes Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.1:1 vs 23.6:1).

Mesa Unified District (4235) also operates Mountain View High School (3,421 students) and Red Mountain High School (3,379 students) alongside Holmes 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 Holmes Elementary School compares

Holmes 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 14.1:1 ▼ 17% 17:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 66.0% ▲ 37% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 536 top 35% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
536
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
66.0%
free-lunch eligible - 37% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher - 17% below state mean
Top 29% in Arizona - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
53.9%
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
$11,160
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 268 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.1 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 88.2%
White 5.2%
African American 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.9%
Two or More 1.5%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 21.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 21.8, Holmes Elementary School is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesa Unified District (4235), which includes Holmes Elementary School.

$11,160
Per student
-15%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.4%
State 44.5%
Federal 18.1%

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 Holmes Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Mountain View High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Red Mountain High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mesa High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Westwood High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Dobson High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Holmes Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Mesa Unified District (4235) · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Mesa

6 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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Holmes Elementary School's federal record.

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 Holmes Elementary School

How many students attend Holmes Elementary School?

Holmes Elementary School has 536 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mesa, AZ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Holmes Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Holmes Elementary School is 14.1:1, which is 17% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 10% 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 Holmes Elementary School?

66.0% of students at Holmes Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Holmes Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Holmes Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 88.2% of enrollment, in Mesa, AZ.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Holmes Elementary School?

Holmes Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical 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 Holmes Elementary School rank among schools in Mesa?

By Resource Investment Index, Holmes Elementary School ranks #23 of 70 schools in Mesa, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mesa on the city page.

Is Holmes Elementary School a good school?

Holmes Elementary School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Arizona schools. It is also less 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 Mesa Unified District (4235)?

Besides Holmes Elementary School, Mesa Unified District (4235) also operates Mountain View High School (3,421 students), Red Mountain High School (3,379 students), and Mesa High School (3,233 students). See the Mesa Unified District (4235) district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.