Enrollment
2,306
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 040852002339
La Joya Community High School — Avondale, AZ
Federal NCES profile for La Joya Community High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 4
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
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: Tolleson Union High School District (4288) · 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)
87.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How La Joya Community High 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 Joya Community High School reports 2,306 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 87.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 35% 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 50% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 13% below the Arizona average and 19% below the national baseline. The school offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 384 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tolleson Union High School District (4288) spends $15,934 per pupil district-wide, above the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 47.5% from local sources (property taxes), 36.2% from the state, and 16.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Joya Community High 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 | 23.9:1 | ▲ 35% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.0% | ▼ 13% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,306 | top 98% | — | — |
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
42.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 13% 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
23.9:1
students per teacher
— 35% above state mean
Top 92% in Arizona — lower ratio than 8% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$15,934
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arizona avg of $15,070
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 384 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
63
in-school suspensions + 114 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 2,306 Top 98% in Arizona — larger than 2% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 87.0
Students per teacher 23.9:1 +35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.0% -13% vs state
NCES ID 040852002339
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 78.6%
African American 11.7%
White 4.8%
Two or More 2.5%
Asian 1.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 78.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 384:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 63
Out-of-school suspensions 114
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tolleson Union High School District (4288), which includes La Joya Community High School.
$15,934
Per student
+6%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 47.5%
State 36.2%
Federal 16.3%
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
- 2,782
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,648
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 2,182
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,911
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,686
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
Similar high schools in Avondale
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
West Point High School
Standard public school
2,782 students 24.7:1 students per teacher
Westview High School
Standard public school
1,686 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Agua Fria High School
Standard public school
1,535 students 18:1 students per teacher
Highland Prep West
Standard public school
423 students
Estrella High School
Alternative education program
138 students
West-Mec - La Joya High School
Vocational / career-technical school
3 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 La Joya Community High School
How many students attend La Joya Community High School?
La Joya Community High School has 2,306 students enrolled. It is a high school in AVONDALE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at La Joya Community High School?
The student-teacher ratio at La Joya Community High School is 23.9:1, which is 35% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 50% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at La Joya Community High School?
42.0% of students at La Joya Community High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of La Joya Community High School?
The largest demographic group at La Joya Community High School is Hispanic or Latino at 78.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in AVONDALE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for La Joya Community High School?
La Joya Community High School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.