Other / mixed grade configuration · Mesa, AZ

Mendoza Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Mendoza Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040497001374
0/100100/10036/100
👥 S:T ratio
54
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
20
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Mendoza Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Arizona schools.

#33 of 70
schools in Mesa · Resource Index
36
Resource Index · Typical
11.5:1
small classes for Arizona
34.8%
free-lunch eligible

Mendoza Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Arizona schools. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Mendoza Elementary School ranks #33 of 70 schools in Mesa, AZ.

Enrollment

402

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

35.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

11.5:1

vs 17:1 Arizona avg

-32% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

34.8%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

-28% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Mendoza Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Mendoza Elementary School

Mendoza Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Mesa, Arizona, enrolling 402 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 11.5:1, Mendoza Elementary School is leaner than roughly 87% of Arizona schools and 32% under the state's 17:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.8% of students eligible for free meals.

With 402 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.

Against 257 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #66.

Its student body is led by White (60%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%) (diversity index 55/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 402 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Mesa's public schools, it stands alongside Eastmark High School (1,889 students): Mendoza Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.5:1 vs 23.6:1).

Mesa Unified District (4235) also operates Mountain View High School (3,421 students) and Red Mountain High School (3,379 students) alongside Mendoza 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 Mendoza Elementary School compares

Mendoza Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Arizona Arizona avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 11.5:1 ▼ 32% 17:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 34.8% ▼ 28% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 402 top 51% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
402
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
34.8%
free-lunch eligible - 28% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.5:1
students per teacher - 32% below state mean
Top 13% in Arizona - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
40.8%
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
$11,160
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 402 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.0 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 60.2%
Hispanic or Latino 29.1%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 3.0%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%

Largest group: White at 60.2% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 54.9/100

Simpson diversity index - at 54.9, Mendoza Elementary School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesa Unified District (4235), which includes Mendoza Elementary School.

$11,160
Per student
-15%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.4%
State 44.5%
Federal 18.1%

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.

How Mendoza Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Mountain View High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Red Mountain High School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mesa High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Westwood High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Dobson High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Mendoza Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Mesa Unified District (4235) · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Mesa

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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 Mendoza Elementary School's federal record.

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 Mendoza Elementary School

How many students attend Mendoza Elementary School?

Mendoza Elementary School has 402 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mesa, AZ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Mendoza Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Mendoza Elementary School is 11.5:1, which is 32% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 27% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mendoza Elementary School?

34.8% of students at Mendoza Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mendoza Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Mendoza Elementary School is White at 60.2% of enrollment, in Mesa, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.9/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mendoza Elementary School?

Mendoza Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Mendoza Elementary School rank among schools in Mesa?

By Resource Investment Index, Mendoza Elementary School ranks #33 of 70 schools in Mesa, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mesa on the city page.

Is Mendoza Elementary School a good school?

Mendoza Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of 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 Mesa Unified District (4235)?

Besides Mendoza Elementary School, Mesa Unified District (4235) also operates Mountain View High School (3,421 students), Red Mountain High School (3,379 students), and Mesa High School (3,233 students). See the Mesa Unified District (4235) district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.