Enrollment
205
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 040168002005
Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy — Phoenix, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 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)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.7:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.5%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy 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
Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy reports 205 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 11.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 62.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% above the Arizona average and 21% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 205 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% 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 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 Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy 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 | 16.7:1 | ▼ 6% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.5% | ▲ 29% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 205 | 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
62.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 29% 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
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 6% below state mean
Top 44% in Arizona — lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
100.0%
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 205 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 102 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 55.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 205 Top 29% in Arizona — larger than 71% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 11.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 62.5% +29% vs state
NCES ID 040168002005
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 88.3%
White 4.9%
African American 3.9%
Two or More 2.0%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 88.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 205:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 102
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cartwright Elementary District (4282), which includes Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy.
$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
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Enrollment
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
Similar middle schools in Phoenix
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Mountain Trail Middle School
Standard public school
835 students 20:1 students per teacher
Palo Verde Middle School
Standard public school
797 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Ingleside Middle School
Standard public school
789 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Mountain Sky Middle School
Standard public school
672 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Estrella Middle School
Standard public school
650 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Greenway Middle School
Standard public school
646 students 16.8:1 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 Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy
How many students attend Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy?
Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy has 205 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy is 16.7:1, which is 6% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 5% 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 Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy?
62.5% of students at Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy?
The largest demographic group at Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 88.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy?
Marc T. Atkinson Middle School & Gifted Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.