Enrollment
703
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040168000104
Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School — Phoenix, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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: Cartwright Elementary District (4282) · 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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community 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
Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School reports 703 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% below the Arizona state mean of 17.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% above the Arizona average and 8% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 703 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 51.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Cartwright Elementary District (4282) spends $16,285 per pupil district-wide, above the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 16.7% from local sources (property taxes), 42.2% from the state, and 41.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), calculated from 4 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 Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community 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 | 16.9:1 | ▼ 5% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.0% | ▲ 16% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 703 | top 79% | — | — |
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
56.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% above the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
— 5% below state mean
Top 46% in Arizona — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,285
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arizona avg of $15,070
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 703 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 703 Top 79% in Arizona — larger than 21% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 16.9:1 -5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.0% +16% vs state
NCES ID 040168000104
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 94.0%
African American 2.0%
White 1.6%
Two or More 1.0%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 94.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 703:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 51.9%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 26
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cartwright Elementary District (4282), which includes Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School.
$16,285
Per student
+8%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 16.7%
State 42.2%
Federal 41.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 960
- Students per teacher
- 26.7:1
- Enrollment
- 875
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Enrollment
- 817
- Students per teacher
- 24.9:1
- Enrollment
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Enrollment
- 739
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
Similar other schools in Phoenix
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Arizona Virtual Academy
Standard public school
4,476 students
Pinnacle High School
Standard public school
2,430 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Paradise Valley High School
Standard public school
1,900 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Barry Goldwater High School
Standard public school
1,602 students 20:1 students per teacher
North Canyon High School
Standard public school
1,560 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Great Hearts Academies - Maryvale Prep
Standard public school
1,192 students
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 Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School
How many students attend Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School?
Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School has 703 students enrolled. It is a other school in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School?
The student-teacher ratio at Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School is 16.9:1, which is 5% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School?
56.0% of students at Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School?
The largest demographic group at Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School is Hispanic or Latino at 94.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School?
Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.