Enrollment
554
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mesa, AZ
Pathfinder Academy
Federal NCES profile for Pathfinder Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040063801796Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pathfinder Academy earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #7 of 26
- elementary schools in Mesa · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 10.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 554
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Pathfinder Academy ranks #7 of 26 elementary schools in Mesa, AZ.
School address
District: Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045) · Arizona
NCES ID 040063801796 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
10.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-79% vs state
What stands out at Pathfinder Academy
Pathfinder Academy is a lower-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Mesa, Arizona, enrolling 554 students.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.0% free-meal eligibility runs 79% below the Arizona average.
Enrollment of 554 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 183 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #121.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
The surrounding Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045) spends $7,736 per pupil, 41% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Mesa's elementary schools, it stands alongside Legacy Traditional School - East Mesa (1,066 students): Pathfinder Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045) also operates Sequoia Pathfinder Academy at Eastmark (294 students) and Sequoia Lehi Charter School (114 students) alongside Pathfinder Academy.
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 Pathfinder Academy compares
Pathfinder Academy on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.0% | ▼ 79% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 554 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
554
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 79% 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.
Funding equity
$7,736
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 + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 85.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
Two or More 3.4%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 85.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.0, Pathfinder Academy is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045), which includes Pathfinder Academy.
$7,736
Per student
-41%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-53%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.7%
State 86.3%
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.
How Pathfinder Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sequoia Pathfinder Academy at Eastmark | Smaller | Similar economic need | No ratio data |
| Sequoia Lehi Charter School | Smaller | Higher economic need | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Pathfinder Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 294
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 114
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Mesa
3 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 Pathfinder Academy's federal record.
- Compare Pathfinder Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045)'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 Pathfinder Academy
How many students attend Pathfinder Academy?
Pathfinder Academy has 554 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mesa, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pathfinder Academy?
10.0% of students at Pathfinder Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pathfinder Academy?
The largest demographic group at Pathfinder Academy is White at 85.4% of enrollment, in Mesa, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pathfinder Academy?
Pathfinder Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: 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 Pathfinder Academy rank among elementary schools in Mesa?
By Resource Investment Index, Pathfinder Academy ranks #7 of 26 elementary schools in Mesa, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Mesa on the city page.
Is Pathfinder Academy a good school?
Pathfinder Academy earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045)?
Besides Pathfinder Academy, Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045) also operates Sequoia Pathfinder Academy at Eastmark (294 students) and Sequoia Lehi Charter School (114 students). See the Edkey Inc. - Pathfinder Academy (81045) district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.