Enrollment
439
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040171001027
Mesquite Elementary School — Casa Grande, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Mesquite Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 16/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 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: Casa Grande Elementary District (4446) · 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+63% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mesquite Elementary 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
Mesquite Elementary School reports 439 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 23% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 78.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 63% above the Arizona average and 52% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 439 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 94.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Casa Grande Elementary District (4446) spends $11,940 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.9% from local sources (property taxes), 49.5% from the state, and 22.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (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 Mesquite Elementary 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 | 19.5:1 | ▲ 10% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.8% | ▲ 63% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 439 | top 54% | — | — |
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
78.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 63% 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
19.5:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 69% in Arizona — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
94.3%
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
$11,940
per pupil, district-wide
— below 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 439 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 439 Top 54% in Arizona — larger than 46% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 19.5:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 78.8% +63% vs state
NCES ID 040171001027
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 60.1%
White 18.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 9.3%
Two or More 5.5%
African American 5.0%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 60.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 439:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 94.3%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Casa Grande Elementary District (4446), which includes Mesquite Elementary School.
$11,940
Per student
-21%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 49.5%
Federal 22.6%
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
- 737
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 723
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Enrollment
- 648
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 548
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
Similar other schools in Casa Grande
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Palo Verde School
Standard public school
548 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Cottonwood Elementary School
Standard public school
515 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Desert Willow Elementary School
Standard public school
505 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Cholla Elementary School
Standard public school
458 students 24.3:1 students per teacher
Saguaro Elementary School
Standard public school
456 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Evergreen Elementary School
Standard public school
332 students 51:1 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 Mesquite Elementary School
How many students attend Mesquite Elementary School?
Mesquite Elementary School has 439 students enrolled. It is a other school in CASA GRANDE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mesquite Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mesquite Elementary School is 19.5:1, which is 10% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mesquite Elementary School?
78.8% of students at Mesquite Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mesquite Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mesquite Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 60.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in CASA GRANDE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mesquite Elementary School?
Mesquite Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (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.