Enrollment
221
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Phoenix, AZ
Stepping Stones Academy
Federal NCES profile for Stepping Stones Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 040018701906Charter school
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Stepping Stones Academy earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index on federal resource data.
- #93 of 116
- elementary schools in Phoenix · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 221
- students enrolled
By Resource Investment Index, Stepping Stones Academy ranks #93 of 116 elementary schools in Phoenix, AZ.
School address
District: Stepping Stones Academy (10966) · Arizona
NCES ID 040018701906 Verify on NCES CCD record →
What stands out at Stepping Stones Academy
Stepping Stones Academy is a mid-sized charter elementary school in Phoenix, Arizona, enrolling 221 students.
Enrollment of 221 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.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Phoenix's elementary schools, it stands alongside Academy of Math and Science Avondale (1,175 students): Stepping Stones Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount.
Stepping Stones Academy (10966) is a single-school charter district, so Stepping Stones Academy 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 Stepping Stones Academy compares
Stepping Stones Academy on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 221 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
221
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Engagement
42.1%
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
$10,734
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
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 86.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.5%
Two or More 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 86.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.4, Stepping Stones Academy is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Stepping Stones Academy (10966), which includes Stepping Stones Academy.
$10,734
Per student
-18%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 9.7%
State 83.0%
Federal 7.3%
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 elementary schools in Phoenix
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Academy of Math and Science Avondale
Standard public school
1,175 students
Kyrene Altadena Middle School
Standard public school
857 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Catalina Ventura School
Standard public school
842 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Inspiration Mountain School
Standard public school
789 students 25.5:1 students per teacher
Alhambra Traditional School
Standard public school
733 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Legacy Traditional School - North Phoenix
Standard public school
567 students
Similar elementary 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 Stepping Stones Academy's federal record.
- Compare Stepping Stones Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Stepping Stones Academy (10966)'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 Stepping Stones Academy
How many students attend Stepping Stones Academy?
Stepping Stones Academy has 221 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Phoenix, AZ.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Stepping Stones Academy?
The largest demographic group at Stepping Stones Academy is White at 86.4% of enrollment, in Phoenix, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Stepping Stones Academy?
Stepping Stones Academy 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 Stepping Stones Academy rank among elementary schools in Phoenix?
By Resource Investment Index, Stepping Stones Academy ranks #93 of 116 elementary 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 elementary schools in Phoenix on the city page.
Is Stepping Stones Academy a good school?
Stepping Stones Academy earns 15/100 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 Stepping Stones Academy (10966)?
None; Stepping Stones Academy (10966) is a single-school charter district, and Stepping Stones Academy 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.