Enrollment
1,303
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040340001670
Mesquite High School — Gilbert, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Mesquite High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 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: Gilbert Unified District (4239) · 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)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mesquite High 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 High School reports 1,303 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 65.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% 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 38% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 25.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the Arizona average and 52% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 326 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 56.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Gilbert Unified District (4239) spends $10,931 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.1% from local sources (property taxes), 44.8% from the state, and 12.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 High 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 | 22:1 | ▲ 24% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.0% | ▼ 48% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,303 | top 94% | — | — |
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
25.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
22:1
students per teacher
— 24% above state mean
Top 85% in Arizona — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
56.9%
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
$10,931
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 326 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 121 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,303 Top 94% in Arizona — larger than 6% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 65.0
Students per teacher 22:1 +24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 25.0% -48% vs state
NCES ID 040340001670
Student demographics
White 39.9%
Hispanic or Latino 39.7%
African American 7.3%
Two or More 6.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.6%
Asian 3.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 39.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 326:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 56.9%
In-school suspensions 30
Out-of-school suspensions 121
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gilbert Unified District (4239), which includes Mesquite High School.
$10,931
Per student
-27%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.1%
State 44.8%
Federal 12.1%
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
- 2,992
- Students per teacher
- 24.4:1
- Enrollment
- 2,418
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,103
- Students per teacher
- 23.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,863
- Students per teacher
- 23.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,160
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
Similar other schools in Gilbert
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Highland High School
Standard public school
2,992 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Gilbert High School
Standard public school
2,418 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Perry High School
Standard public school
2,373 students 20.2:1 students per teacher
American Leadership Academy Gilbert North K-12
Standard public school
2,357 students
Higley High School
Standard public school
2,005 students 21:1 students per teacher
Arizona Connections Academy
Standard public school
1,891 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 Mesquite High School
How many students attend Mesquite High School?
Mesquite High School has 1,303 students enrolled. It is a other school in GILBERT, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mesquite High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mesquite High School is 22:1, which is 24% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mesquite High School?
25.0% of students at Mesquite High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mesquite High School?
The largest demographic group at Mesquite High School is White at 39.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in GILBERT, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mesquite High School?
Mesquite High School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.