Enrollment
509
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040399002938
Ranch Elementary School — San Tan Valley, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Ranch Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 29
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: J O Combs Unified School District (4445) · 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)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.7:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ranch Elementary 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
Ranch Elementary School reports 509 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% 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 49% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% below the Arizona average and 36% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 509 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding J O Combs Unified School District (4445) spends $9,789 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.0% from local sources (property taxes), 53.2% from the state, and 14.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (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 Ranch Elementary 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 | 23.7:1 | ▲ 34% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.0% | ▼ 32% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 509 | top 62% | — | — |
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
33.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% 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
23.7:1
students per teacher
— 34% above state mean
Top 91% in Arizona — lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
28.5%
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
$9,789
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 509 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 509 Top 62% in Arizona — larger than 38% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 23.7:1 +34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.0% -32% vs state
NCES ID 040399002938
Student demographics
White 55.4%
Hispanic or Latino 36.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.6%
Two or More 2.4%
African American 1.4%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
Largest group: White at 55.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 509:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.5%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for J O Combs Unified School District (4445), which includes Ranch Elementary School.
$9,789
Per student
-35%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-50%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.0%
State 53.2%
Federal 14.9%
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
- 1,182
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 581
- Students per teacher
- 24.3:1
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 384
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 382
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
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
Poston Butte High School
Standard public school
1,310 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
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
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 Ranch Elementary School
How many students attend Ranch Elementary School?
Ranch Elementary School has 509 students enrolled. It is a other school in San Tan Valley, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ranch Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ranch Elementary School is 23.7:1, which is 34% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ranch Elementary School?
33.0% of students at Ranch Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ranch Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ranch Elementary School is White at 55.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in San Tan Valley, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ranch Elementary School?
Ranch Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.