Elementary school (grades K-5) · Tucson, AZ

La Paloma Academy (Lakeside)

Federal NCES profile for La Paloma Academy (Lakeside), including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 11/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040036103165Charter school
0/100100/10011/100
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) earns 11/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.

#54 of 54
elementary schools in Tucson · Resource Index
11
Resource Index · Lower
50.9%
free-lunch eligible
855
students enrolled

By Resource Investment Index, La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) ranks #54 of 54 elementary schools in Tucson, AZ.

Enrollment

855

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Free-lunch eligible

50.9%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

+5% vs state

What stands out at La Paloma Academy (Lakeside)

La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) is a higher-need, large charter elementary school in Tucson, Arizona, enrolling 855 students.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 50.9% lands close to the Arizona typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 855 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 231 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #226, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and White (25%) (diversity index 60/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 855 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Arizona Community Development Corporation (79947) spends $9,570 per pupil, 27% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 26.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Tucson's elementary schools, it stands alongside Los Amigos Elementary School (613 students): La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) is larger than that campus by headcount.

Arizona Community Development Corporation (79947) also operates La Paloma Academy (632 students) and La Paloma Academy-South (501 students) alongside La Paloma Academy (Lakeside).

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 La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) compares

La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Arizona Arizona avg U.S. avg
Free-lunch eligible 50.9% ▲ 5% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 855 top 13% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

855
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
50.9%
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.
Engagement
38.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$9,570
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 855 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 56.1%
White 25.4%
African American 13.1%
Asian 2.7%
Two or More 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 56.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 60.3/100

Simpson diversity index - at 60.3, La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arizona Community Development Corporation (79947), which includes La Paloma Academy (Lakeside).

$9,570
Per student
-27%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.4%
State 71.1%
Federal 26.5%

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.

How La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
La Paloma Academy Smaller Similar economic need No ratio data
La Paloma Academy-South Smaller Higher economic need No ratio data

Comparisons are relative to La Paloma Academy (Lakeside)'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Arizona Community Development Corporation (79947) · 2 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar elementary schools in Tucson

5 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.

Similar elementary 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 La Paloma Academy (Lakeside)'s federal record.

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 La Paloma Academy (Lakeside)

How many students attend La Paloma Academy (Lakeside)?

La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) has 855 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Tucson, AZ.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at La Paloma Academy (Lakeside)?

50.9% of students at La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of La Paloma Academy (Lakeside)?

The largest demographic group at La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) is Hispanic or Latino at 56.1% of enrollment, in Tucson, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.3/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for La Paloma Academy (Lakeside)?

La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) has a Resource Investment Index of 11/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) rank among elementary schools in Tucson?

By Resource Investment Index, La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) ranks #54 of 54 elementary schools in Tucson, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Tucson on the city page.

Is La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) a good school?

La Paloma Academy (Lakeside) earns 11/100 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 Arizona Community Development Corporation (79947)?

Besides La Paloma Academy (Lakeside), Arizona Community Development Corporation (79947) also operates La Paloma Academy (632 students) and La Paloma Academy-South (501 students). See the Arizona Community Development Corporation (79947) district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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.