Other / mixed grade configuration · Scottsdale, AZ

North Ranch Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for North Ranch Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040593001378
0/100100/10053/100
👥 S:T ratio
35
🌟 Gifted program
70
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

North Ranch Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.

#9 of 26
schools in Scottsdale · Resource Index
53
Resource Index · Higher
16.2:1
students per teacher
7.8%
free-lunch eligible

North Ranch Elementary School has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, North Ranch Elementary School ranks #9 of 26 schools in Scottsdale, AZ.

Enrollment

535

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

33.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16.2:1

vs 17:1 Arizona avg

-5% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

7.8%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

-84% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How North Ranch Elementary 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 North Ranch Elementary School

North Ranch Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Scottsdale, Arizona, enrolling 535 students.

At 16.2:1, 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.

Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 7.8% free-meal eligibility runs 84% below the Arizona average.

Enrollment of 535 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.

Among 156 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #17, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (61%) and Hispanic or Latino (20%) (diversity index 58/100).

Among Scottsdale's public schools, it stands alongside Cactus Shadows High School (1,362 students): North Ranch Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.2:1 vs 17.9:1).

Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) also operates Pinnacle High School (2,430 students) and Paradise Valley High School (1,900 students) alongside North Ranch 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 North Ranch Elementary School compares

North Ranch 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 16.2:1 ▼ 5% 17:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 7.8% ▼ 84% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 535 top 35% - -

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

16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
535
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
7.8%
free-lunch eligible - 84% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher - 5% below state mean
Top 47% in Arizona - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$11,154
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
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 60.7%
Hispanic or Latino 19.8%
Asian 10.5%
Two or More 5.6%
African American 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%

Largest group: White at 60.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 57.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 57.7, North Ranch 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 Paradise Valley Unified District (4241), which includes North Ranch Elementary School.

$11,154
Per student
-15%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.8%
State 27.3%
Federal 14.9%

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 North Ranch Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Pinnacle High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Paradise Valley High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Horizon High School Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
North Canyon High School Larger Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
Shadow Mountain High School Larger Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

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

Other Schools in This District

Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Scottsdale

4 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 North Ranch 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 North Ranch Elementary School

How many students attend North Ranch Elementary School?

North Ranch Elementary School has 535 students enrolled. It is a public school in Scottsdale, AZ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at North Ranch Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at North Ranch Elementary School is 16.2:1, which is 5% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 3% 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 North Ranch Elementary School?

7.8% of students at North Ranch Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of North Ranch Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at North Ranch Elementary School is White at 60.7% of enrollment, in Scottsdale, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.7/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for North Ranch Elementary School?

North Ranch Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.

How does North Ranch Elementary School rank among schools in Scottsdale?

By Resource Investment Index, North Ranch Elementary School ranks #9 of 26 schools in Scottsdale, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Scottsdale on the city page.

Is North Ranch Elementary School a good school?

North Ranch Elementary School earns 53/100 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 Paradise Valley Unified District (4241)?

Besides North Ranch Elementary School, Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) also operates Pinnacle High School (2,430 students), Paradise Valley High School (1,900 students), and Horizon High School (1,767 students). See the Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) 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.