Enrollment
324
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040630000518
Mary Mcleod Bethune School — Phoenix, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Mary Mcleod Bethune School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 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: Phoenix Elementary District (4256) · 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)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.8:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Mcleod Bethune 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
Mary Mcleod Bethune School reports 324 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 22.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 77.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% above the Arizona average and 50% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 86.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Phoenix Elementary District (4256) spends $16,830 per pupil district-wide, above the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.1% from local sources (property taxes), 20.5% from the state, and 29.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Mary Mcleod Bethune 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 | 16.8:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.8% | ▲ 61% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 324 | top 40% | — | — |
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
77.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% 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
16.8:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 45% in Arizona — lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
86.7%
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
$16,830
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 324 Top 40% in Arizona — larger than 60% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 22.0
Students per teacher 16.8:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 77.8% +61% vs state
NCES ID 040630000518
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 80.2%
African American 14.5%
White 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Asian 0.9%
Two or More 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 80.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 86.7%
In-school suspensions 12
Out-of-school suspensions 23
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Phoenix Elementary District (4256), which includes Mary Mcleod Bethune School.
$16,830
Per student
+12%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.1%
State 20.5%
Federal 29.4%
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
- 488
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 476
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Enrollment
- 453
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Enrollment
- 449
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 430
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
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 Mary Mcleod Bethune School
How many students attend Mary Mcleod Bethune School?
Mary Mcleod Bethune School has 324 students enrolled. It is a other school in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Mcleod Bethune School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Mcleod Bethune School is 16.8:1, which is 5% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 6% 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 Mary Mcleod Bethune School?
77.8% of students at Mary Mcleod Bethune School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Mcleod Bethune School?
The largest demographic group at Mary Mcleod Bethune School is Hispanic or Latino at 80.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Mcleod Bethune School?
Mary Mcleod Bethune School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 3 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.