Middle school (grades 6-8) · Phoenix, AZ

Mountain Sky Middle School

Federal NCES profile for Mountain Sky Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.

2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 040906001272
0/100100/10034/100
👥 S:T ratio
33
🌟 Gifted program
70
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Mountain Sky Middle School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.

#8 of 24
middle schools in Phoenix · Resource Index
34
Resource Index · Typical
16.8:1
students per teacher
50.9%
free-lunch eligible

Mountain Sky Middle School has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Mountain Sky Middle School ranks #8 of 24 middle schools in Phoenix, AZ.

Enrollment

672

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

40.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16.8:1

vs 17:1 Arizona avg

-1% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

50.9%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

+5% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Mountain Sky Middle School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians

At or below 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 Mountain Sky Middle School

Mountain Sky Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Phoenix, Arizona, enrolling 672 students.

At 16.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arizona median, within a few percentage points of the 17:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.

Its free-meal eligibility rate of 50.9% lands close to the Arizona typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.

Enrollment of 672 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,064 scored Arizona schools.

Against 312 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #82.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (48%) and White (35%) (diversity index 64/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 77.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 24.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 265 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 672 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Among Phoenix's middle schools, it stands alongside Sonoran Trails Middle School (615 students): Mountain Sky Middle School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.8:1 vs 17.6:1).

Washington Elementary School District (4260) also operates Lookout Mountain School (979 students) and Mountain View Elementary School (903 students) alongside Mountain Sky Middle 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 Mountain Sky Middle School compares

Mountain Sky Middle 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 16.8:1 ▼ 1% 17:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 50.9% ▲ 5% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 672 top 23% - -

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

16.8:1
Leaner classes than 32% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
672
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
50.9%
free-lunch eligible - 5% 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 - 1% below state mean
Top 53% in Arizona - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
77.7%
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
$10,856
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
146
in-school suspensions + 119 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.4 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

Hispanic or Latino 47.6%
White 35.0%
African American 8.6%
Two or More 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.5%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.6% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 64.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 64.1, Mountain Sky Middle School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington Elementary School District (4260), which includes Mountain Sky Middle School.

$10,856
Per student
-17%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.7%
State 45.6%
Federal 24.8%

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 Mountain Sky Middle School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Lookout Mountain School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Mountain View Elementary School Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio
Acacia Elementary School Similar size Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Orangewood School Similar size Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Palo Verde Middle School Similar size Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Washington Elementary School District (4260) · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar middle schools in Phoenix

3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.

Similar middle 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 Mountain Sky Middle 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 Mountain Sky Middle School

How many students attend Mountain Sky Middle School?

Mountain Sky Middle School has 672 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Phoenix, AZ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Mountain Sky Middle School?

The student-teacher ratio at Mountain Sky Middle School is 16.8:1, which is 1% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 7% higher 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 Mountain Sky Middle School?

50.9% of students at Mountain Sky Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mountain Sky Middle School?

The largest demographic group at Mountain Sky Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 47.6% of enrollment, in Phoenix, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.1/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Mountain Sky Middle School?

Mountain Sky Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Mountain Sky Middle School rank among middle schools in Phoenix?

By Resource Investment Index, Mountain Sky Middle School ranks #8 of 24 middle schools in Phoenix, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Phoenix on the city page.

Is Mountain Sky Middle School a good school?

Mountain Sky Middle School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median. 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 Washington Elementary School District (4260)?

Besides Mountain Sky Middle School, Washington Elementary School District (4260) also operates Lookout Mountain School (979 students), Mountain View Elementary School (903 students), and Acacia Elementary School (806 students). See the Washington Elementary School District (4260) 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.