Enrollment
382
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fountain Hills, AZ
Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040304001296
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 75
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Fountain Hills · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 26.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 382
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Fountain Hills, AZ.
School address
District: Fountain Hills Unified District (4247) · Arizona
NCES ID 040304001296 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
26.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-44% vs state
What stands out at Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School
Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Fountain Hills, Arizona, enrolling 382 students.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 26.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 382 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 200 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #75.
Its student body is led by White (42%) and Hispanic or Latino (23%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 127 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Fountain Hills Unified District (4247) also operates Fountain Hills High School (347 students) and Fountain Hills Middle School (250 students) alongside Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School.
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 Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School compares
Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 26.9% | ▼ 44% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 382 | top 54% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
382
Bigger than 45% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
26.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Engagement
47.4%
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
$10,759
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 127 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
White 42.4%
Hispanic or Latino 23.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 22.5%
Two or More 7.9%
African American 2.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.0%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: White at 42.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.8, Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fountain Hills Unified District (4247), which includes Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School.
$10,759
Per student
-18%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 64.4%
State 22.6%
Federal 13.0%
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 Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain Hills High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | No ratio data |
| Fountain Hills Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Fountain Hills Virtual Academy | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 347
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 250
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 55
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 60/100
Similar other 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 Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Fountain Hills Unified District (4247)'s spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School
How many students attend Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School?
Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School has 382 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fountain Hills, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School?
26.9% of students at Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School is White at 42.4% of enrollment, in Fountain Hills, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School?
Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical 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 Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School rank among public schools in Fountain Hills?
By Resource Investment Index, Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Fountain Hills, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Fountain Hills on the city page.
Is Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School a good school?
Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools. 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 Fountain Hills Unified District (4247)?
Besides Mcdowell Mountain Elementary School, Fountain Hills Unified District (4247) also operates Fountain Hills High School (347 students), Fountain Hills Middle School (250 students), and Fountain Hills Virtual Academy (55 students). See the Fountain Hills Unified District (4247) district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.