Enrollment
439
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Phoenix, AZ
Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix
Federal NCES profile for Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 16/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040077602387Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #158 of 179
- schools in Phoenix · Resource Index
- 16
- Resource Index · Lower
- 95.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 439
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix ranks #158 of 179 schools in Phoenix, AZ.
School address
NCES ID 040077602387 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
95.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+98% vs state
What stands out at Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix
Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Phoenix, Arizona, enrolling 439 students.
Economic need is high: 95.8% of students qualify for free meals, 98% above the Arizona average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 439 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arizona median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 91% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 70 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #60, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (54%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 64/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 37.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Phoenix's public schools, it stands alongside Pan-American Charter School (1,221 students): Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Daisy Education Corporation Dba Sonoran Science Ac (89914) is a single-school charter district, so Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix compares
Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 95.8% | ▲ 98% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 439 | top 46% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
439
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
95.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 98% 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.
Engagement
39.4%
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
$12,924
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 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
African American 54.2%
Hispanic or Latino 21.6%
Asian 10.9%
White 8.0%
Two or More 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
Largest group: African American at 54.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.0, Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Daisy Education Corporation Dba Sonoran Science Ac (89914), which includes Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix.
$12,924
Per student
-2%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.0%
State 62.9%
Federal 37.1%
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.
Similar other schools in Phoenix
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Pan-American Charter School
Standard public school
1,221 students
Great Hearts Academies - Anthem Prep
Standard public school
1,031 students
Westwind Elementary School
Standard public school
932 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Stetson Hills School
Standard public school
887 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Union Park School
Standard public school
873 students 19:1 students per teacher
Fireside Elementary School
Standard public school
693 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
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 Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix's federal record.
- Compare Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix against another school. Compare schools
- Daisy Education Corporation Dba Sonoran Science Ac (89914)'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 Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix
How many students attend Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix?
Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix has 439 students enrolled. It is a public school in Phoenix, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix?
95.8% of students at Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix?
The largest demographic group at Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix is African American at 54.2% of enrollment, in Phoenix, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix?
Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix has a Resource Investment Index of 16/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix rank among schools in Phoenix?
By Resource Investment Index, Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix ranks #158 of 179 schools in Phoenix, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Phoenix on the city page.
Is Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix a good school?
Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix earns 16/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. 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 Daisy Education Corporation Dba Sonoran Science Ac (89914)?
None; Daisy Education Corporation Dba Sonoran Science Ac (89914) is a single-school charter district, and Sonoran Science Academy - Phoenix is its only campus.
Related tools
Compare schools
Side-by-side comparison tool
Schools in Arizona
All public schools in Arizona
Daisy Education Corporation Dba Sonoran Science Ac (89914)
All schools in this district
Schools in Phoenix
All schools in this city
School districts
Ranked by enrollment & spending
Rankings
Best schools by state & type
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.