Enrollment
227
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Tucson, AZ
Southside Community School
Federal NCES profile for Southside Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040031802203Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southside Community School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools.
- #127 of 131
- schools in Tucson · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 82.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 227
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Community School ranks #127 of 131 schools in Tucson, AZ.
School address
District: Aprender Tucson (79426) · Arizona
NCES ID 040031802203 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Free-lunch eligible
82.7%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+71% vs state
What stands out at Southside Community School
Southside Community School is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Tucson, Arizona, enrolling 227 students.
Economic need is high: 82.7% of students qualify for free meals, 71% above the Arizona average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 227 puts it in the smaller third of Arizona schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 2,064 Arizona schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 105 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arizona schools statewide, it ranks #97, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 78.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 35.2% 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): Southside Community School is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Aprender Tucson (79426) is a single-school charter district, so Southside Community School 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 Southside Community School compares
Southside Community School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.7% | ▲ 71% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 227 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
227
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% 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
78.0%
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
$13,525
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arizona avg of $13,145
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
31
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 13.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.3 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 95.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.6%
Two or More 1.3%
White 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 95.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.3, Southside Community School is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Aprender Tucson (79426), which includes Southside Community School.
$13,525
Per student
+3%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 5.0%
State 59.8%
Federal 35.2%
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 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.
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southside Community School's federal record.
- Compare Southside Community School against another school. Compare schools
- Aprender Tucson (79426)'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 Southside Community School
How many students attend Southside Community School?
Southside Community School has 227 students enrolled. It is a public school in Tucson, AZ.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southside Community School?
82.7% of students at Southside Community School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southside Community School?
The largest demographic group at Southside Community School is Hispanic or Latino at 95.2% of enrollment, in Tucson, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southside Community School?
Southside Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio, 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 Southside Community School rank among schools in Tucson?
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Community School ranks #127 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 Southside Community School a good school?
Southside Community School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Aprender Tucson (79426)?
None; Aprender Tucson (79426) is a single-school charter district, and Southside Community School is its only campus.
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.