Mesa Public Schools
Listed by NCES as Mesa Unified District (4235) (district ID 0404970)
Public school district · Maricopa County · Arizona · NCES district ID 0404970
Mesa Public Schools spent $12,121 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 81% of the other Arizona districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $10,493). Its 77 schools enrolled 55,890 students in 2024-25; 45.8% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,066 per student, up 2.2% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 81% (Arizona: 77.8%).
NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method
Spending per student among Arizona's largest districts
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Mesa Public Schools ranks 3.
Where the money came from
$876,418,000 in revenue: 45.8% state, 31.8% local and 22.4% federal. Total spending including $134,675,000 of capital outlay was $846,734,000, or $14,903 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$401,480,000 46%
- Local$278,407,000 32%
- Federal$196,531,000 22%
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 157 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25
58,343 students in 2022-23, 57,204 students in 2023-24, 55,395 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 58,343 | 3544.7 | 16.5 |
| 2023-24 | 57,204 | 3282.9 | 17.4 |
| 2024-25 | 55,395 | 3017.4 | 18.4 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$239,659,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,218 per student
Mesa Public Schools booked $239,659,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 3,555 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $67,420 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 67 in 100 Arizona districts with a figure (state median $62,248, 172 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Arizona teacher salary at $54,580 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $188,816,000 | 78.8% |
| Special education | $38,181,000 | 15.9% |
| Vocational | $8,128,000 | 3.4% |
| Other programs | $4,534,000 | 1.9% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,033 in 2018-19, $3,185 in 2019-20, $3,607 in 2020-21, $3,771 in 2021-22, $4,218 in 2022-23.
Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Mesa Public Schools scored proficient or above: 38% in reading and 33% in math, against 40.4% in reading and 34.8% in math across Arizona. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Arizona, not across states.
| Subject | This district | Arizona | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 38% | 40.4% | 28,682 |
| Math | 33% | 34.8% | 28,920 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.
Graduation rate, class of 2023
81% of the 4,551 students in Mesa Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 77.8% across Arizona. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.
| This district | Arizona | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 81% | 77.8% |
| Students in the class | 4,551 | 93,470 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.
55 elementary schools, 29,243 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit Academy | 1,181 | 19.8 | 31.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Franklin at Brimhall Elementary | 889 | 24.7 | 12.0% | Not Title I |
| Ishikawa Elementary School | 786 | 18.7 | 21.0% | Not Title I |
| Patterson Elementary | 733 | 16.4 | 32.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Stevenson Elementary School | 725 | 19.1 | 71.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Zaharis Elementary | 721 | 18.2 | 12.0% | Not Title I |
| Emerson Elementary School | 717 | 19.6 | 60.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Adams Elementary School | 667 | 18.3 | 63.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Hermosa Vista Elementary School | 662 | 17.0 | 15.9% | Not Title I |
| Highland Elementary School | 648 | 17.0 | 32.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Las Sendas Elementary School | 645 | 17.2 | 7.0% | Not Title I |
| Webster Elementary School | 591 | 17.1 | 67.9% | Schoolwide program |
The other 43 elementary schools
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keller Elementary School | 581 | 15.1 | 54.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Lincoln Elementary School | 572 | 16.0 | 72.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Whitman Elementary School | 569 | 19.6 | 64.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Entz Elementary School | 567 | 18.0 | 29.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Field Elementary School | 564 | 15.9 | 46.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Johnson Elementary School | 562 | 14.2 | 29.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Jefferson Elementary School | 554 | 16.9 | 61.0% | Schoolwide program |
| MacArthur Elementary School | 545 | 18.1 | 21.0% | Not Title I |
| Falcon Hill Elementary School | 544 | 16.2 | 32.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Holmes Elementary School | 536 | 15.8 | 66.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Edison Elementary School | 528 | 17.2 | 63.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Bush Elementary | 524 | 15.2 | 27.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Franklin East Elementary School | 518 | 18.7 | 30.9% | Eligible, no program |
| Pomeroy Elementary School | 512 | 16.9 | 27.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Roosevelt Elementary School | 509 | 16.5 | 60.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Brinton Elementary | 495 | 18.2 | 44.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Salk Elementary School | 494 | 15.9 | 56.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Taft Elementary School | 491 | 14.9 | 55.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Eisenhower Center for Innovation | 489 | 16.9 | 66.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Irving Elementary School | 488 | 16.5 | 47.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Redbird Elementary School | 484 | 16.1 | 64.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Michael T. Hughes Elementary School | 480 | 14.3 | 65.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Hale Elementary School | 477 | 15.1 | 21.0% | Not Title I |
| Red Mountain Ranch Elementary | 473 | 15.8 | 21.9% | Not Title I |
| Porter Elementary School | 453 | 16.8 | 46.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Washington Elementary School | 451 | 18.0 | 42.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Kerr Elementary School | 450 | 14.1 | 68.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Wilson Elementary School | 449 | 17.3 | 48.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Crismon Elementary School | 446 | 15.9 | 44.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Whittier Elementary School | 443 | 16.7 | 56.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Lindbergh Elementary School | 442 | 15.2 | 67.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Lowell Elementary School | 441 | 15.5 | 71.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Longfellow Elementary School | 440 | 15.5 | 78.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Guerrero Elementary School | 424 | 17.3 | 72.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Mendoza Elementary School | 402 | 16.0 | 34.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Lehi Elementary School | 398 | 15.9 | 66.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Robson Elementary School | 397 | 13.5 | 61.8% | Schoolwide program |
| O'Connor Elementary School | 386 | 17.5 | 45.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Madison Elementary School | 374 | 13.3 | 43.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Franklin West Elementary | 373 | 20.7 | 37.9% | Eligible, no program |
| Sousa Elementary School | 344 | 13.9 | 43.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Franklin at Alma Elementary | 318 | 20.3 | 27.0% | Eligible, no program |
| Sirrine Elementary School | 291 | 18.9 | 44.9% | Schoolwide program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
10 middle schools, 7,337 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carson Junior High School | 946 | 18.8 | 60.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Taylor Junior High School | 908 | 19.7 | 49.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Stapley Junior High School | 899 | 19.5 | 19.9% | Not Title I |
| Fremont Junior High School | 822 | 17.9 | 33.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Kino Junior High School | 805 | 20.4 | 66.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Poston Junior High School | 782 | 19.6 | 48.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Smith Junior High School | 707 | 16.8 | 44.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Rhodes Junior High School | 599 | 18.7 | 54.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Shepherd Junior High School | 581 | 20.6 | 24.9% | Schoolwide program |
| Franklin Junior High School | 288 | 18.5 | 16.7% | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
7 high schools, 17,742 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View High School | 3,421 | 22.2 | 22.0% | Not Title I |
| Red Mountain High School | 3,379 | 20.5 | 21.0% | Not Title I |
| Mesa High School | 3,233 | 20.7 | 47.0% | Eligible, no program |
| Westwood High School | 3,135 | 20.4 | 49.0% | Eligible, no program |
| Dobson High School | 2,284 | 20.2 | 43.0% | Eligible, no program |
| Skyline High School | 1,995 | 17.9 | 42.0% | Eligible, no program |
| East Valley Academy | 295 | 19.4 | 53.7% | Eligible, no program |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
5 other schools, 1,568 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagleridge Enrichment Program | 694 | 62.6 | 9.9% | Not Title I |
| Mesa Academy for Advanced Studies | 379 | 17.5 | 12.0% | Not Title I |
| Red Mountain Center for Early Education | 253 | 7.3 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Mesa Distance Learning Program | 165 | 2.5 | not reported | Not Title I |
| Early Education Center | 77 | not reported | not reported | Not Title I |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.
2 more schools on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory
These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.
Red Mountain Center for Early Education
School in Mesa; open in 2024-25; 253 students; 7.3 students per teacher.
Early Education Center
School in Mesa; open in 2024-25; 77 students.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.
Contact Mesa Public Schools
- Website: mpsaz.org
- Phone: (480) 472-0200
- Office: 63 E Main St Ste 101, Mesa, AZ 85201
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.
What to look at next about Mesa Public Schools
- Arizona districts by spending per studentMesa Public Schools ranks 31 of 157 Arizona districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($12,121).#31 of 157
- Every school district in ArizonaMesa Public Schools is the largest of 661 Arizona districts, with 58,343 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#1 of 661
- Chandler Unified School DistrictThe next smaller Arizona district: 43,716 students in fall 2022, $11,085 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,085
- Compare Mesa Public Schools with Chandler Unified School DistrictEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Mountain View High School, its largest high school3,421 students in 2024-25, 22.2 per teacher.3,421
- Teacher salary spending across ArizonaMesa Public Schools spent $67,420 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $62,248); spending, not a salary.$67,420
- Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).
Questions about Mesa Public Schools
How many schools and students are in Mesa Public Schools?
77 schools were open in 2024-25 (55 elementary, 10 middle, 7 high, 5 other), enrolling 55,890 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Mesa Public Schools spend per student?
$12,121 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Arizona median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $10,493 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,066 per student, up 2.2% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Mesa Public Schools' money come from?
$876,418,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 45.8% state, 31.8% local and 22.4% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Mesa Public Schools live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 10,503 of the 79,556 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 13.2%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.How much does Mesa Public Schools spend on teacher salaries?
$239,659,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,218 per student. Divided by the 3,555 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $67,420 per teacher, more than 67 in 100 Arizona districts (state median $62,248). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Arizona teacher salary at $54,580 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).How do students in Mesa Public Schools do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Mesa Public Schools scored proficient or above: 38% in reading and 33% in math, against 40.4% in reading and 34.8% in math across Arizona. Arizona's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.What is the graduation rate in Mesa Public Schools?
81% of the 4,551 students in Mesa Public Schools' class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 77.8% across Arizona. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.What is Mesa Public Schools' NCES district ID?
0404970. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.
Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.
Sources
Every federal file behind this record
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
- NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
- Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
- EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
- EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
- NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
- NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
- U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25