Enrollment
430
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Payson, AZ
Payson Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Payson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040607001423
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Payson Elementary School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% of Arizona schools.
- 23
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.4:1
- small classes for Arizona
- 51.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 430
- students enrolled
Payson Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Arizona schools. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Payson Unified District (4209) · Arizona
NCES ID 040607001423 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Payson Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Payson Elementary School
Payson Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Payson, Arizona, enrolling 430 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arizona schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 51.9% lands close to the Arizona typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 430 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Among 306 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #218, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 430 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Payson Unified District (4209) spends $10,239 per pupil, 22% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Payson Unified District (4209) also operates Payson High School (733 students) and Julia Randall Elementary School (503 students) alongside Payson 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 Payson Elementary School compares
Payson 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 | 13.4:1 | ▼ 21% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.9% | ▲ 7% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 430 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
430
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 24% in Arizona - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
61.2%
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
$10,239
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 430 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 68.4%
Hispanic or Latino 24.0%
Two or More 4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.1%
Asian 0.5%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 68.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.2, Payson Elementary School is about as mixed as the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Payson Unified District (4209), which includes Payson Elementary School.
$10,239
Per student
-22%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.2%
State 33.2%
Federal 15.7%
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 Payson Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payson High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Julia Randall Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Rim Country Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Payson Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 18/100
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
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.
Similar enrollment (~430 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Payson Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Payson Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Payson Unified District (4209)'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 Payson Elementary School
How many students attend Payson Elementary School?
Payson Elementary School has 430 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Payson, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Payson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Payson Elementary School is 13.4:1, which is 21% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 15% 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 Payson Elementary School?
51.9% of students at Payson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Payson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Payson Elementary School is White at 68.4% of enrollment, in Payson, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Payson Elementary School?
Payson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower 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 Payson Elementary School a good school?
Payson Elementary School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 76% 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 Payson Unified District (4209)?
Besides Payson Elementary School, Payson Unified District (4209) also operates Payson High School (733 students), Julia Randall Elementary School (503 students), and Rim Country Middle School (478 students). See the Payson Unified District (4209) 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.