Enrollment
370
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 040831000777
Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School — Tempe, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 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: Tempe School District (4258) · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Joseph P. Spracale 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
Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School reports 370 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% 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 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 50.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 5% above the Arizona average and 2% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 370 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tempe School District (4258) spends $14,452 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.6% from local sources (property taxes), 29.1% from the state, and 13.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Joseph P. Spracale 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 29% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.8% | ▲ 5% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 370 | top 45% | — | — |
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
50.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 5% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
— 29% below state mean
Top 15% in Arizona — lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
47.0%
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
$14,452
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 370 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 370 Top 45% in Arizona — larger than 55% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 12.6:1 -29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 50.8% +5% vs state
NCES ID 040831000777
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 43.2%
White 27.6%
African American 13.2%
Two or More 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.9%
Asian 4.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 370:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.0%
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tempe School District (4258), which includes Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School.
$14,452
Per student
-4%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.6%
State 29.1%
Federal 13.3%
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
- 923
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 712
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 694
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 645
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
Similar elementary schools in Tempe
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Kyrene Middle School
Standard public school
759 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Broadmor Elementary School
Standard public school
575 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Fuller Elementary School
Standard public school
468 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Ward Traditional Academy
Standard public school
404 students 13:1 students per teacher
Curry Elementary School
Standard public school
366 students 16:1 students per teacher
Center for Educational Excellence
Standard public school
332 students
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 Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School
How many students attend Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School?
Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School has 370 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in TEMPE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School is 12.6:1, which is 29% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 21% 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 Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School?
50.8% of students at Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 43.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in TEMPE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School?
Joseph P. Spracale Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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.