Enrollment
164
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Sanders, AZ
Sanders Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Sanders Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 040674001043
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 78
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sanders Middle School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Sanders · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- students per teacher
- 86.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Sanders Middle School has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sanders Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Sanders, AZ.
School address
District: Sanders Unified District (4156) · Arizona
NCES ID 040674001043 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.7%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+80% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sanders Middle School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sanders Middle School
Sanders Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Sanders, Arizona, enrolling 164 students.
At 16.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arizona median, within a few percentage points of the 17:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need is high: 86.7% of students qualify for free meals, 80% above the Arizona average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 164 puts it in the smaller third of Arizona schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 59 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #26.
Its student body is predominantly American Indian / Alaska Native (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 109 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 82.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Sanders Unified District (4156) spends $20,044 per pupil, 52% above the Arizona average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 61.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Sanders Unified District (4156) also operates Sanders Elementary School (267 students) and Valley High School (193 students) alongside Sanders Middle 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 Sanders Middle School compares
Sanders Middle 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 | 16.4:1 | ▼ 4% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.7% | ▲ 80% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 164 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
164
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 80% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 49% in Arizona - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
82.9%
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
$20,044
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arizona avg of $13,145
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 109 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
10
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.1 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
American Indian / Alaska Native 84.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.3%
Two or More 4.3%
White 1.8%
Asian 1.2%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 84.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.3, Sanders Middle School is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sanders Unified District (4156), which includes Sanders Middle School.
$20,044
Per student
+52%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
+21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 4.0%
State 34.5%
Federal 61.5%
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 Sanders Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sanders Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Valley High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sanders Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 267
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 193
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar middle 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 (~164 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sanders Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Sanders Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Sanders Unified District (4156)'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 Sanders Middle School
How many students attend Sanders Middle School?
Sanders Middle School has 164 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Sanders, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sanders Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sanders Middle School is 16.4:1, which is 4% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sanders Middle School?
86.7% of students at Sanders Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sanders Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Sanders Middle School is American Indian / Alaska Native at 84.8% of enrollment, in Sanders, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sanders Middle School?
Sanders Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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 Sanders Middle School rank among public schools in Sanders?
By Resource Investment Index, Sanders Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Sanders, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Sanders on the city page.
Is Sanders Middle School a good school?
Sanders Middle School earns 36/100 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 Sanders Unified District (4156)?
Besides Sanders Middle School, Sanders Unified District (4156) also operates Sanders Elementary School (267 students) and Valley High School (193 students). See the Sanders Unified District (4156) 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.