Enrollment
1,310
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040292002972
Poston Butte High School — San Tan Valley, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Poston Butte High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Florence Unified School District (4437) · Arizona
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Poston Butte High School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Poston Butte High School reports 1,310 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 71.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% above the Arizona state mean of 17.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% below the Arizona average and 34% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 328 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 50.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Florence Unified School District (4437) spends $9,579 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 31.7% from local sources (property taxes), 52.4% from the state, and 16.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Poston Butte High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Arizona state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.6:1 | ▲ 11% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.0% | ▼ 30% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,310 | top 94% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
34.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.6:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 69% in Arizona — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
50.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$9,579
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arizona avg of $15,070
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 328 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
256
in-school suspensions + 133 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 29.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,310 Top 94% in Arizona — larger than 6% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 71.0
Students per teacher 19.6:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.0% -30% vs state
NCES ID 040292002972
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 44.0%
White 40.4%
African American 8.2%
Two or More 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 14
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 328:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 50.1%
In-school suspensions 256
Out-of-school suspensions 133
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Florence Unified School District (4437), which includes Poston Butte High School.
$9,579
Per student
-36%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-51%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 31.7%
State 52.4%
Federal 16.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 857
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 805
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 793
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 728
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 722
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar other schools in San Tan Valley
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
American Leadership Academy Ironwood K12
Standard public school
2,084 students
Combs High School
Standard public school
1,182 students 23:1 students per teacher
Walker Butte K-8
Standard public school
718 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
San Tan Heights Elementary
Standard public school
669 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Skyline Ranch Elementary School
Standard public school
583 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Copper Basin
Standard public school
557 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Poston Butte High School
How many students attend Poston Butte High School?
Poston Butte High School has 1,310 students enrolled. It is a other school in San Tan Valley, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Poston Butte High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Poston Butte High School is 19.6:1, which is 11% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Poston Butte High School?
34.0% of students at Poston Butte High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poston Butte High School?
The largest demographic group at Poston Butte High School is Hispanic or Latino at 44.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in San Tan Valley, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poston Butte High School?
Poston Butte High School has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.