Enrollment
271
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hereford, AZ
Palominas Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Palominas Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040588000471
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palominas Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Arizona schools.
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Arizona
- 43.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 271
- students enrolled
Palominas Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 86% of Arizona schools. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
School address
NCES ID 040588000471 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
-31% 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
What stands out at Palominas Elementary School
Palominas Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Hereford, Arizona, enrolling 271 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.8:1, Palominas Elementary School is leaner than roughly 86% of Arizona schools and 31% under the state's 17:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 43.9% lands close to the Arizona typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 271 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 145 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #25.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 271 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 70.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Hereford's public schools, it stands alongside Valley View Elementary School (31 students): Palominas Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.8:1 vs 15.5:1).
Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180) also operates Coronado Elementary School (404 students) and Valley View Elementary School (31 students) alongside Palominas 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 Palominas Elementary School compares
Palominas 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 31% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.9% | ▼ 9% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 271 | top 65% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
271
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.8:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 14% in Arizona - lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
70.1%
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
$14,210
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arizona avg of $13,145
Somewhat 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 56.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.9, Palominas 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 Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180), which includes Palominas Elementary School.
$14,210
Per student
+8%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Palominas Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coronado Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Valley View Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palominas Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 31
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar other schools in Hereford
1 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.
Similar enrollment (~271 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palominas Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Palominas Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180)'s spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Palominas Elementary School
How many students attend Palominas Elementary School?
Palominas Elementary School has 271 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hereford, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palominas Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palominas Elementary School is 11.8:1, which is 31% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 25% lower 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 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% of enrollment, in Hereford, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palominas Elementary School?
Palominas Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Palominas Elementary School a good school?
Palominas Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 86% of Arizona schools. 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 Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180)?
Besides Palominas Elementary School, Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180) also operates Coronado Elementary School (404 students) and Valley View Elementary School (31 students). See the Palominas Elementary School District 49 (4180) district page for the complete list.
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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.