Enrollment
899
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mesa, AZ
Stapley Junior High School
Federal NCES profile for Stapley Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 040497000580
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Stapley Junior High School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.
- #8 of 11
- middle schools in Mesa · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18:1
- students per teacher
- 19.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Stapley Junior High School has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Stapley Junior High School ranks #8 of 11 middle schools in Mesa, AZ.
School address
District: Mesa Unified District (4235) · Arizona
NCES ID 040497000580 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
50.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
+6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Stapley Junior High School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Stapley Junior High School
Stapley Junior High School is a lower-poverty, large middle school in Mesa, Arizona, enrolling 899 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18:1 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 19.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 899 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 230 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #103.
Its student body is led by White (66%) and Hispanic or Latino (21%) (diversity index 51/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 360 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mesa Unified District (4235) also operates Mountain View High School (3,421 students) and Red Mountain High School (3,379 students) alongside Stapley Junior 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 Stapley Junior High School compares
Stapley Junior 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 | 18:1 | ▲ 6% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.9% | ▼ 59% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 899 | top 11% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
899
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
- 6% above state mean
Top 63% in Arizona - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
46.1%
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
$11,160
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 360 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
77
in-school suspensions + 60 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.2 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
White 66.1%
Hispanic or Latino 21.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 7.1%
Two or More 3.7%
African American 1.1%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 66.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 51.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 51.2, Stapley Junior High School is more mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesa Unified District (4235), which includes Stapley Junior High School.
$11,160
Per student
-15%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.4%
State 44.5%
Federal 18.1%
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.
How Stapley Junior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain View High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Red Mountain High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mesa High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westwood High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dobson High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Stapley Junior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 3,421
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 3,379
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 3,233
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 3,135
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,284
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~899 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Stapley Junior High School's federal record.
- Compare Stapley Junior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Mesa Unified District (4235)'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 Stapley Junior High School
How many students attend Stapley Junior High School?
Stapley Junior High School has 899 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mesa, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Stapley Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Stapley Junior High School is 18:1, which is 6% higher than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Stapley Junior High School?
19.9% of students at Stapley Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Stapley Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Stapley Junior High School is White at 66.1% of enrollment, in Mesa, AZ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 51.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Stapley Junior High School?
Stapley Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Stapley Junior High School rank among middle schools in Mesa?
By Resource Investment Index, Stapley Junior High School ranks #8 of 11 middle schools in Mesa, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Mesa on the city page.
Is Stapley Junior High School a good school?
Stapley Junior High School earns 32/100 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 Mesa Unified District (4235)?
Besides Stapley Junior High School, Mesa Unified District (4235) also operates Mountain View High School (3,421 students), Red Mountain High School (3,379 students), and Mesa High School (3,233 students). See the Mesa Unified District (4235) 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.