Enrollment
1,250
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tucson, AZ
Sahuaro High School
Federal NCES profile for Sahuaro High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040880001447
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sahuaro High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.
- #62 of 131
- schools in Tucson · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.7:1
- students per teacher
- 44.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Sahuaro High School has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sahuaro High School ranks #62 of 131 schools in Tucson, AZ.
School address
District: Tucson Unified District (4403) · Arizona
NCES ID 040880001447 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.7:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sahuaro High School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sahuaro High School
Sahuaro High School is a large combined-grade school in Tucson, Arizona, enrolling 1,250 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 44.0% lands close to the Arizona typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Arizona, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,250 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 104 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #13.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (47%) and White (31%) (diversity index 67/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 417 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Its district draws 23.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Tucson's public schools, it stands alongside Craycroft Elementary School (586 students): Sahuaro High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18.7:1 vs 21.7:1).
Tucson Unified District (4403) also operates Tucson Magnet High School (2,938 students) and Pueblo High School (1,821 students) alongside Sahuaro High 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 Sahuaro High School compares
Sahuaro High 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 | 18.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.0% | ▼ 9% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,250 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.7:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,250
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
18.7:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 67% in Arizona - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$11,545
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 417 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
36
in-school suspensions + 132 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.4 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 47.4%
White 30.7%
African American 9.3%
Two or More 7.4%
Asian 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 47.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.6, Sahuaro High School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tucson Unified District (4403), which includes Sahuaro High School.
$11,545
Per student
-12%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 41.8%
State 34.7%
Federal 23.6%
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 Sahuaro High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson Magnet High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pueblo High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cholla High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Catalina Online Learning Experience | Similar size | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
| Rincon High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sahuaro High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,938
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,821
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,575
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 1,184
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 1,109
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar other schools in Tucson
2 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.
Similar enrollment (~1,250 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sahuaro High School's federal record.
- Compare Sahuaro High School against another school. Compare schools
- Tucson Unified District (4403)'s spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Sahuaro High School
How many students attend Sahuaro High School?
Sahuaro High School has 1,250 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tucson, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sahuaro High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sahuaro High School is 18.7:1, which is 10% higher than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sahuaro High School?
44.0% of students at Sahuaro High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sahuaro High School?
The largest demographic group at Sahuaro High School is Hispanic or Latino at 47.4% of enrollment, in Tucson, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sahuaro High School?
Sahuaro High School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sahuaro High School rank among schools in Tucson?
By Resource Investment Index, Sahuaro High School ranks #62 of 131 schools in Tucson, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Tucson on the city page.
Is Sahuaro High School a good school?
Sahuaro High School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median. 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 Tucson Unified District (4403)?
Besides Sahuaro High School, Tucson Unified District (4403) also operates Tucson Magnet High School (2,938 students), Pueblo High School (1,821 students), and Cholla High School (1,575 students). See the Tucson Unified District (4403) district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.