Enrollment
375
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 040724001029
Safford Middle School — Safford, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Safford Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 12/100.
👥 Class size 6
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 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: Safford Unified District (4218) · 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.6:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Safford Middle 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
Safford Middle School reports 375 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 33% 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 48% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% below the Arizona average and 17% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 76.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Safford Unified District (4218) spends $11,369 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.8% from local sources (property taxes), 66.4% from the state, and 14.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Safford Middle 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 | 23.6:1 | ▲ 33% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.0% | ▼ 11% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 375 | top 45% | — | — |
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
43.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.6:1
students per teacher
— 33% 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
76.5%
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
$11,369
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 73 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 375 Top 45% in Arizona — larger than 55% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 23.6:1 +33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.0% -11% vs state
NCES ID 040724001029
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 54.1%
White 40.5%
Two or More 2.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 54.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 76.5%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 73
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Safford Unified District (4218), which includes Safford Middle School.
$11,369
Per student
-25%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-42%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.8%
State 66.4%
Federal 14.8%
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
- 828
- Students per teacher
- 29.9:1
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 539
- Students per teacher
- 21.6:1
- Enrollment
- 471
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 86
- Students per teacher
- 11.6:1
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 Safford Middle School
How many students attend Safford Middle School?
Safford Middle School has 375 students enrolled. It is a middle school in SAFFORD, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Safford Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Safford Middle School is 23.6:1, which is 33% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 48% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Safford Middle School?
43.0% of students at Safford Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Safford Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Safford Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 54.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in SAFFORD, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Safford Middle School?
Safford Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.