Enrollment
437
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Phoenix, AZ
Imagine Desert West Middle
Federal NCES profile for Imagine Desert West Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 040075402819Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Imagine Desert West Middle earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #11 of 24
- middle schools in Phoenix · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 84.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 437
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Imagine Desert West Middle ranks #11 of 24 middle schools in Phoenix, AZ.
School address
District: Imagine Desert West Middle Inc. (89563) · Arizona
NCES ID 040075402819 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
84.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+76% vs state
What stands out at Imagine Desert West Middle
Imagine Desert West Middle is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter middle school in Phoenix, Arizona, enrolling 437 students.
Economic need is high: 84.9% of students qualify for free meals, 76% above the Arizona average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 437 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 190 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #80.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
The surrounding Imagine Desert West Middle Inc. (89563) spends $8,602 per pupil, 35% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 27.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Phoenix's middle schools, it stands alongside Sonoran Trails Middle School (615 students): Imagine Desert West Middle is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Imagine Desert West Middle Inc. (89563) is a single-school charter district, so Imagine Desert West Middle 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 Middle compares
Imagine Desert West Middle on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.9% | ▲ 76% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 437 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
437
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 76% 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
$8,602
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
9
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.2 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 87.0%
African American 7.3%
Two or More 2.3%
White 1.6%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.7, Imagine Desert West Middle is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Imagine Desert West Middle Inc. (89563), which includes Imagine Desert West Middle.
$8,602
Per student
-35%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-48%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.0%
State 71.5%
Federal 27.4%
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 middle schools in Phoenix
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 Middle's federal record.
- Compare Imagine Desert West Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Imagine Desert West Middle Inc. (89563)'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 Middle
How many students attend Imagine Desert West Middle?
Imagine Desert West Middle has 437 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Phoenix, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Imagine Desert West Middle?
84.9% of students at Imagine Desert West Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Imagine Desert West Middle?
The largest demographic group at Imagine Desert West Middle is Hispanic or Latino at 87.0% of enrollment, in Phoenix, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Imagine Desert West Middle?
Imagine Desert West Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. 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 Middle rank among middle schools in Phoenix?
By Resource Investment Index, Imagine Desert West Middle ranks #11 of 24 middle 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 middle schools in Phoenix on the city page.
Is Imagine Desert West Middle a good school?
Imagine Desert West Middle earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Desert West Middle Inc. (89563)?
None; Imagine Desert West Middle Inc. (89563) is a single-school charter district, and Imagine Desert West Middle 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.