Other / mixed grade configuration · Casa Grande, AZ

Saguaro Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Saguaro Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 13/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040171000112
0/100100/10013/100
👥 S:T ratio
13
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
9
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Saguaro Elementary School earns 13/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Arizona schools.

#8 of 8
schools in Casa Grande · Resource Index
13
Resource Index · Lower
21.7:1
large classes for Arizona
81.9%
free-lunch eligible

Saguaro Elementary School has class sizes larger than 85% of Arizona schools. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Saguaro Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 schools in Casa Grande, AZ.

Enrollment

456

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

21.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

21.7:1

vs 17:1 Arizona avg

+28% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

81.9%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

+70% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Saguaro Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Saguaro Elementary School

Saguaro Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Casa Grande, Arizona, enrolling 456 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 21.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 81.9% of students qualify for free meals, 70% above the Arizona average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

With 456 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 97% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 222 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #217, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (71%) and White (13%) (diversity index 47/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 456 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 74.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Casa Grande Elementary District (4446) spends $10,041 per pupil, 24% below the Arizona average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 22.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Casa Grande's public schools, it stands alongside Mccartney Ranch Elementary School (668 students): Saguaro Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (21.7:1 vs 24.7:1).

Casa Grande Elementary District (4446) also operates Cactus Middle School (737 students) and Villago Middle School (723 students) alongside Saguaro Elementary School.

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 Saguaro Elementary School compares

Saguaro Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Arizona Arizona avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 21.7:1 ▲ 28% 17:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 81.9% ▲ 70% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 456 top 44% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

21.7:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
456
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
81.9%
free-lunch eligible - 70% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.7:1
students per teacher - 28% above state mean
Top 85% in Arizona - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
74.8%
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
$10,041
per pupil, district-wide - below Arizona avg of $13,145
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 456 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 71.3%
White 12.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.9%
African American 3.9%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 71.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 46.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 46.7, Saguaro Elementary School is about as mixed as the Arizona school average of 47.2.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Casa Grande Elementary District (4446), which includes Saguaro Elementary School.

$10,041
Per student
-24%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 49.5%
Federal 22.6%

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.

How Saguaro Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Cactus Middle School Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Villago Middle School Larger Lower economic need Lower S:T ratio
Mccartney Ranch Elementary School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Casa Grande Middle School Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Palo Verde School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Saguaro Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Casa Grande Elementary District (4446) · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Casa Grande

3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other 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 Saguaro Elementary School's federal record.

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 Saguaro Elementary School

How many students attend Saguaro Elementary School?

Saguaro Elementary School has 456 students enrolled. It is a public school in Casa Grande, AZ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Saguaro Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Saguaro Elementary School is 21.7:1, which is 28% higher than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Saguaro Elementary School?

81.9% of students at Saguaro Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Saguaro Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Saguaro Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 71.3% of enrollment, in Casa Grande, AZ.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Saguaro Elementary School?

Saguaro Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 13/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Saguaro Elementary School rank among schools in Casa Grande?

By Resource Investment Index, Saguaro Elementary School ranks #8 of 8 schools in Casa Grande, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Casa Grande on the city page.

Is Saguaro Elementary School a good school?

Saguaro Elementary School earns 13/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of 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 Casa Grande Elementary District (4446)?

Besides Saguaro Elementary School, Casa Grande Elementary District (4446) also operates Cactus Middle School (737 students), Villago Middle School (723 students), and Mccartney Ranch Elementary School (668 students). See the Casa Grande Elementary District (4446) district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.