Enrollment
211
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040039502826 Charter school
Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa — Mesa, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 19
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: Lead Charter Schools (79967) · 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.
Free-lunch eligible
46.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-3% vs state
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
Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa reports 211 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 3% below the Arizona average and 9% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lead Charter Schools (79967) spends $10,806 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 9.2% from local sources (property taxes), 73.6% from the state, and 17.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), calculated from 2 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 Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.9% | ▼ 3% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 211 | top 29% | — | — |
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
46.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 3% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
32.2%
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
$10,806
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 211 Top 29% in Arizona — larger than 71% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) —
Students per teacher —
Free-lunch eligible 46.9% -3% vs state
NCES ID 040039502826
Student demographics
White 47.9%
Hispanic or Latino 42.7%
Two or More 6.2%
African American 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 47.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.2%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lead Charter Schools (79967), which includes Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa.
$10,806
Per student
-28%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-45%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 9.2%
State 73.6%
Federal 17.2%
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
- 282
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 194
- Students per teacher
- —
- Enrollment
- 70
- Students per teacher
- —
Similar other schools in Mesa
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Desert Ridge High
Standard public school
2,103 students 23.3:1 students per teacher
Gateway Polytechnic Academy
Standard public school
1,003 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Canyon Rim Elementary
Standard public school
905 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Basis Mesa
Standard public school
894 students
Franklin at Brimhall Elementary
Standard public school
889 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Augusta Ranch Elementary
Standard public school
855 students 17:1 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 Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa
How many students attend Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa?
Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa has 211 students enrolled. It is a other school in MESA, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa?
46.9% of students at Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa?
The largest demographic group at Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa is White at 47.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in MESA, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa?
Leading Edge Academy at East Mesa has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.