Enrollment
384
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040399003067
Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary — Queen Creek, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 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: J O Combs Unified School District (4445) · 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.4:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary 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
Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary reports 384 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Arizona state mean of 17.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Arizona average and 17% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 384 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 63.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding J O Combs Unified School District (4445) spends $9,789 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.0% from local sources (property taxes), 53.2% from the state, and 14.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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 Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary 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 | 20.4:1 | ▲ 15% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.0% | ▼ 11% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 384 | top 47% | — | — |
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
43.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.4:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 76% in Arizona — lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
63.3%
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
$9,789
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 384 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 384 Top 47% in Arizona — larger than 53% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 20.4:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.0% -11% vs state
NCES ID 040399003067
Student demographics
White 50.0%
Hispanic or Latino 36.2%
Two or More 6.3%
African American 5.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 50.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 384:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 63.3%
In-school suspensions 3
Out-of-school suspensions 20
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for J O Combs Unified School District (4445), which includes Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary.
$9,789
Per student
-35%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-50%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.0%
State 53.2%
Federal 14.9%
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
- 1,182
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 581
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 509
- Students per teacher
- 23.7:1
- Enrollment
- 382
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
Similar other schools in Queen Creek
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Dr. Camille Casteel High School
Standard public school
2,816 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
American Leadership Academy Queen Creek K-12
Standard public school
2,356 students
Schnepf Elementary School
Standard public school
1,044 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
San Tan Foothills High School
Standard public school
793 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Queen Creek Elementary School
Standard public school
711 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
Desert Mountain Elementary
Standard public school
682 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
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 Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary
How many students attend Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary?
Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary has 384 students enrolled. It is a other school in QUEEN CREEK, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary is 20.4:1, which is 15% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 28% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary?
43.0% of students at Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary is White at 50.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in QUEEN CREEK, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary?
Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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.