Enrollment
271
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040588000471
Palominas Elementary School — Hereford, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Palominas Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 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
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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palominas 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
Palominas Elementary School reports 271 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the Arizona average and 15% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 271 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 70.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180) spends $15,026 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.8% from local sources (property taxes), 55.9% from the state, and 11.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Palominas 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 5% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.9% | ▼ 9% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 271 | top 35% | — | — |
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
43.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 60% in Arizona — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
70.1%
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
$15,026
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 271 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 271 Top 35% in Arizona — larger than 65% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 18.5:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.9% -9% vs state
NCES ID 040588000471
Student demographics
White 55.0%
Hispanic or Latino 35.1%
Two or More 7.0%
African American 2.6%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 55.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 271:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 70.1%
In-school suspensions 30
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180), which includes Palominas Elementary School.
$15,026
Per student
0%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.8%
State 55.9%
Federal 11.4%
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
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 31
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
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 Palominas Elementary School
How many students attend Palominas Elementary School?
Palominas Elementary School has 271 students enrolled. It is a other school in HEREFORD, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palominas Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palominas Elementary School is 18.5:1, which is 5% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palominas Elementary School?
43.9% of students at Palominas Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palominas Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Palominas Elementary School is White at 55.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in HEREFORD, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palominas Elementary School?
Palominas Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.