Enrollment
806
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040168003122
Manuel Pena Jr. School — Phoenix, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Manuel Pena Jr. School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 20/100.
👥 Class size 9
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 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: Cartwright Elementary District (4282) · 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.7:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Manuel Pena Jr. 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
Manuel Pena Jr. School reports 806 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 28% 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 43% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 59.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% above the Arizona average and 16% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 806 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 58.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cartwright Elementary District (4282) spends $16,285 per pupil district-wide, above the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.7% from local sources (property taxes), 42.2% from the state, and 41.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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 Manuel Pena Jr. 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 | 22.7:1 | ▲ 28% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.9% | ▲ 24% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 806 | top 85% | — | — |
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
59.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
22.7:1
students per teacher
— 28% above state mean
Top 88% in Arizona — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
58.6%
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
$16,285
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 806 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 806 Top 85% in Arizona — larger than 15% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 22.7:1 +28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 59.9% +24% vs state
NCES ID 040168003122
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 81.0%
African American 11.5%
White 2.9%
Two or More 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.9%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 81.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 806:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 58.6%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 7
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cartwright Elementary District (4282), which includes Manuel Pena Jr. School.
$16,285
Per student
+8%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.7%
State 42.2%
Federal 41.1%
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
- 960
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Enrollment
- 875
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 817
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Enrollment
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Enrollment
- 718
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
Similar other schools in Phoenix
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Arizona Virtual Academy
Standard public school
4,476 students
Pinnacle High School
Standard public school
2,430 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Paradise Valley High School
Standard public school
1,900 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Barry Goldwater High School
Standard public school
1,602 students 20:1 students per teacher
North Canyon High School
Standard public school
1,560 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Great Hearts Academies - Maryvale Prep
Standard public school
1,192 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 Manuel Pena Jr. School
How many students attend Manuel Pena Jr. School?
Manuel Pena Jr. School has 806 students enrolled. It is a other school in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Manuel Pena Jr. School?
The student-teacher ratio at Manuel Pena Jr. School is 22.7:1, which is 28% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 43% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Manuel Pena Jr. School?
59.9% of students at Manuel Pena Jr. School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Manuel Pena Jr. School?
The largest demographic group at Manuel Pena Jr. School is Hispanic or Latino at 81.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Manuel Pena Jr. School?
Manuel Pena Jr. School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (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.