Enrollment
337
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 040068001525
La Cima Middle School — Tucson, AZ
Federal NCES profile for La Cima Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 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: Amphitheater Unified District (4406) · 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How La Cima Middle 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
La Cima Middle School reports 337 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 8% 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 2% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 67.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% above the Arizona average and 31% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 337 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 85.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Amphitheater Unified District (4406) spends $11,759 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.9% from local sources (property taxes), 27.9% from the state, and 17.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 La Cima Middle 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 | 16.2:1 | ▼ 8% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.9% | ▲ 41% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 337 | top 41% | — | — |
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
67.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
16.2:1
students per teacher
— 8% below state mean
Top 40% in Arizona — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
85.2%
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
$11,759
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 337 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
81
in-school suspensions + 120 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 59.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 337 Top 41% in Arizona — larger than 59% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 16.2:1 -8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 67.9% +41% vs state
NCES ID 040068001525
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 69.7%
White 14.5%
African American 6.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.3%
Asian 2.7%
Two or More 2.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 69.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 337:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 85.2%
In-school suspensions 81
Out-of-school suspensions 120
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Amphitheater Unified District (4406), which includes La Cima Middle School.
$11,759
Per student
-22%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.9%
State 27.9%
Federal 17.3%
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
- 1,758
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Enrollment
- 1,539
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 996
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 770
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar middle schools in Tucson
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Lawrence W Cross Middle School
Standard public school
827 students 20.4:1 students per teacher
Mansfeld Middle Magnet School
Standard public school
794 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Flowing Wells Junior High School
Standard public school
758 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Desert Sky Middle School
Standard public school
743 students 20.1:1 students per teacher
Rincon Vista Middle School
Standard public school
712 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Orange Grove Middle School
Standard public school
683 students 17.8:1 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 La Cima Middle School
How many students attend La Cima Middle School?
La Cima Middle School has 337 students enrolled. It is a middle school in TUCSON, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at La Cima Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at La Cima Middle School is 16.2:1, which is 8% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 2% higher 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 La Cima Middle School?
67.9% of students at La Cima Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of La Cima Middle School?
The largest demographic group at La Cima Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 69.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in TUCSON, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for La Cima Middle School?
La Cima Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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.