Enrollment
556
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040906000942
Sunburst School — Glendale, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Sunburst School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 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: Washington Elementary School District (4260) · 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunburst 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
Sunburst School reports 556 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the Arizona state mean of 17.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 18% above the Arizona average and 10% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 57.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Washington Elementary School District (4260) spends $12,508 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.7% from local sources (property taxes), 45.6% from the state, and 24.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Sunburst 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 | 18:1 | ▲ 2% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.9% | ▲ 18% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 556 | top 67% | — | — |
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
56.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 18% 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
18:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 56% in Arizona — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
57.7%
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
$12,508
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arizona avg of $15,070
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
25
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 556 Top 67% in Arizona — larger than 33% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 18:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.9% +18% vs state
NCES ID 040906000942
Student demographics
White 41.2%
Hispanic or Latino 37.4%
African American 11.2%
Two or More 6.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.3%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 41.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 57.7%
In-school suspensions 25
Out-of-school suspensions 47
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington Elementary School District (4260), which includes Sunburst School.
$12,508
Per student
-17%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.7%
State 45.6%
Federal 24.8%
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
- 979
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 806
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 797
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 797
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
Similar other schools in Glendale
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Mountain Ridge High School
Standard public school
2,823 students 25.2:1 students per teacher
Ironwood High School
Standard public school
1,804 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Deer Valley High School
Standard public school
1,707 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Raymond S. Kellis
Standard public school
1,691 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Highland Lakes School
Standard public school
1,091 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Cactus High School
Standard public school
1,036 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
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 Sunburst School
How many students attend Sunburst School?
Sunburst School has 556 students enrolled. It is a other school in GLENDALE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunburst School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunburst School is 18:1, which is 2% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sunburst School?
56.9% of students at Sunburst School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunburst School?
The largest demographic group at Sunburst School is White at 41.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in GLENDALE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunburst School?
Sunburst School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.