Enrollment
1,250
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040880001447
Sahuaro High School — Tucson, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Sahuaro High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 14
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 17
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: Tucson Unified District (4403) · 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)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.4:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+21% 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
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
Sahuaro High School reports 1,250 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 67.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% 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 35% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the Arizona average and 15% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 417 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tucson Unified District (4403) spends $13,118 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 41.8% from local sources (property taxes), 34.7% from the state, and 23.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Sahuaro High 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 | 21.4:1 | ▲ 21% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.0% | ▼ 9% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,250 | top 93% | — | — |
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
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
21.4:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 82% in Arizona — lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$13,118
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
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
Enrollment 1,250 Top 93% in Arizona — larger than 7% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 67.0
Students per teacher 21.4:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.0% -9% vs state
NCES ID 040880001447
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 417:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 36
Out-of-school suspensions 132
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tucson Unified District (4403), which includes Sahuaro High School.
$13,118
Per student
-13%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,938
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,821
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,575
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,184
- Students per teacher
- 66:1
- Enrollment
- 1,109
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar other schools in Tucson
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Tucson Magnet High School
Standard public school
2,938 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Pueblo High School
Standard public school
1,821 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Cholla High School
Standard public school
1,575 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Catalina Online Learning Experience
Standard public school
1,184 students 66:1 students per teacher
Rincon High School
Standard public school
1,109 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Mccorkle Pk-8
Standard public school
1,048 students 19.7:1 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 Sahuaro High School
How many students attend Sahuaro High School?
Sahuaro High School has 1,250 students enrolled. It is a other school in TUCSON, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sahuaro High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sahuaro High School is 21.4:1, which is 21% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 35% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in TUCSON, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sahuaro High School?
Sahuaro High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.