Enrollment
368
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Phoenix, AZ
Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation
Federal NCES profile for Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040079803021Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools.
- #93 of 116
- elementary schools in Phoenix · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 53.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 368
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation ranks #93 of 116 elementary schools in Phoenix, AZ.
School address
District: Pioneer Preparatory School (90140) · Arizona
NCES ID 040079803021 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
53.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+12% vs state
What stands out at Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation
Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona, enrolling 368 students.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 53.9% lands close to the Arizona typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 368 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 263 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #244, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 58.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 28.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Phoenix's elementary schools, it stands alongside Academy of Math and Science Avondale (1,175 students): Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Pioneer Preparatory School (90140) is a single-school charter district, so Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation 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 Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation compares
Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.9% | ▲ 12% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 368 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
368
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Engagement
58.7%
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
$13,743
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.0 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
Hispanic or Latino 94.0%
African American 4.1%
White 1.1%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.5, Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pioneer Preparatory School (90140), which includes Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation.
$13,743
Per student
+5%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 2.3%
State 69.5%
Federal 28.2%
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 Phoenix
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Academy of Math and Science Avondale
Standard public school
1,175 students
Kyrene Altadena Middle School
Standard public school
857 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Catalina Ventura School
Standard public school
842 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Inspiration Mountain School
Standard public school
789 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
Alhambra Traditional School
Standard public school
733 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Legacy Traditional School - North Phoenix
Standard public school
567 students
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 Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation's federal record.
- Compare Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation against another school. Compare schools
- Pioneer Preparatory School (90140)'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 Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation
How many students attend Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation?
Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation has 368 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Phoenix, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation?
53.9% of students at Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation?
The largest demographic group at Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation is Hispanic or Latino at 94.0% of enrollment, in Phoenix, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation?
Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower 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 Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation rank among elementary schools in Phoenix?
By Resource Investment Index, Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation ranks #93 of 116 elementary schools in Phoenix, 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 Phoenix on the city page.
Is Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation a good school?
Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Pioneer Preparatory School (90140)?
None; Pioneer Preparatory School (90140) is a single-school charter district, and Pioneer Preparatory - a Challenge Foundation 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.