Enrollment
714
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Phoenix, AZ
Imagine Desert West Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Imagine Desert West Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040043802653Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Imagine Desert West Elementary earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools.
- #93 of 116
- elementary schools in Phoenix · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 83.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 714
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Imagine Desert West Elementary ranks #93 of 116 elementary schools in Phoenix, AZ.
School address
NCES ID 040043802653 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
83.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+74% vs state
What stands out at Imagine Desert West Elementary
Imagine Desert West Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona, enrolling 714 students.
Economic need is high: 83.9% of students qualify for free meals, 74% above the Arizona average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 714 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.
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.
Among 138 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #121, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (88% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 714 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
The surrounding Imagine Charter Elementary at Desert West Inc. (88367) spends $10,139 per pupil, 23% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 31.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Phoenix's elementary schools, it stands alongside Academy of Math and Science Avondale (1,175 students): Imagine Desert West Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Imagine Charter Elementary at Desert West Inc. (88367) is a single-school charter district, so Imagine Desert West Elementary operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Imagine Desert West Elementary compares
Imagine Desert West Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.9% | ▲ 74% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 714 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
714
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
83.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Funding equity
$10,139
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 714 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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 88.2%
African American 5.5%
White 3.1%
Two or More 1.7%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.8, Imagine Desert West Elementary is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Imagine Charter Elementary at Desert West Inc. (88367), which includes Imagine Desert West Elementary.
$10,139
Per student
-23%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.3%
State 68.4%
Federal 31.4%
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 Phoenix
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Academy of Math and Science Avondale
Standard public school
1,175 students
Kyrene Altadena Middle School
Standard public school
857 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Catalina Ventura School
Standard public school
842 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Inspiration Mountain School
Standard public school
789 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
Alhambra Traditional School
Standard public school
733 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Legacy Traditional School - North Phoenix
Standard public school
567 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 Imagine Desert West Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Imagine Desert West Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Imagine Charter Elementary at Desert West Inc. (88367)'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 Imagine Desert West Elementary
How many students attend Imagine Desert West Elementary?
Imagine Desert West Elementary has 714 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Phoenix, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Imagine Desert West Elementary?
83.9% of students at Imagine Desert West Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Imagine Desert West Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Imagine Desert West Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 88.2% of enrollment, in Phoenix, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Imagine Desert West Elementary?
Imagine Desert West Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. 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 Imagine Desert West Elementary rank among elementary schools in Phoenix?
By Resource Investment Index, Imagine Desert West Elementary ranks #93 of 116 elementary schools in Phoenix, 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 Phoenix on the city page.
Is Imagine Desert West Elementary a good school?
Imagine Desert West Elementary earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Imagine Charter Elementary at Desert West Inc. (88367)?
None; Imagine Charter Elementary at Desert West Inc. (88367) is a single-school charter district, and Imagine Desert West Elementary is its only campus.
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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.