Enrollment
203
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Litchfield Park, AZ
Pensar Academy
Federal NCES profile for Pensar Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040094503518Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pensar Academy earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #2 of 5
- elementary schools in Litchfield Park · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 90.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 203
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Pensar Academy ranks #2 of 5 elementary schools in Litchfield Park, AZ.
School address
District: Pensar Academy (92972) · Arizona
NCES ID 040094503518 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
90.7%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+88% vs state
What stands out at Pensar Academy
Pensar Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter elementary school in Litchfield Park, Arizona, enrolling 203 students.
Economic need is high: 90.7% of students qualify for free meals, 88% above the Arizona average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 203 puts it in the smaller third of Arizona schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 69 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #26.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (74%) and White (11%) (diversity index 42/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 50.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Litchfield Park's elementary schools, it stands alongside Wigwam Creek Middle School (782 students): Pensar Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Pensar Academy (92972) is a single-school charter district, so Pensar Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Pensar Academy compares
Pensar 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 | 90.7% | ▲ 88% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 203 | top 71% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
203
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
90.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 88% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
50.2%
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
$11,081
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
17
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.7 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
Hispanic or Latino 74.4%
White 11.3%
African American 9.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.0%
Asian 1.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 74.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.3, Pensar Academy is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pensar Academy (92972), which includes Pensar Academy.
$11,081
Per student
-16%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 1.0%
State 74.8%
Federal 24.2%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Litchfield Park
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Wigwam Creek Middle School
Standard public school
782 students 18.2:1 students per teacher
L. Thomas Heck Middle School
Standard public school
471 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Crown Charter School
Standard public school
294 students
White Tanks Learning Center
Special-education school
19 students 4.8:1 students per teacher
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 Pensar Academy's federal record.
- Compare Pensar Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Pensar Academy (92972)'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 Pensar Academy
How many students attend Pensar Academy?
Pensar Academy has 203 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Litchfield Park, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pensar Academy?
90.7% of students at Pensar Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pensar Academy?
The largest demographic group at Pensar Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 74.4% of enrollment, in Litchfield Park, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pensar Academy?
Pensar Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. 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 Pensar Academy rank among elementary schools in Litchfield Park?
By Resource Investment Index, Pensar Academy ranks #2 of 5 elementary schools in Litchfield Park, 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 Litchfield Park on the city page.
Is Pensar Academy a good school?
Pensar Academy earns 35/100 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 Pensar Academy (92972)?
None; Pensar Academy (92972) is a single-school charter district, and Pensar Academy is its only campus.
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.