Enrollment
877
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040269002481
Sunset Hills Elementary — Surprise, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Sunset Hills Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 27/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 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: Dysart Unified District (4243) · 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)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunset Hills Elementary 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
Sunset Hills Elementary reports 877 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% 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 38% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 32.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% below the Arizona average and 36% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 58.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dysart Unified District (4243) spends $11,753 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.2% from local sources (property taxes), 44.3% from the state, and 17.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 Sunset Hills Elementary 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 | 22:1 | ▲ 24% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.9% | ▼ 32% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 877 | top 88% | — | — |
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
32.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% 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
22:1
students per teacher
— 24% above state mean
Top 85% in Arizona — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
58.0%
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
$11,753
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
45
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 877 Top 88% in Arizona — larger than 12% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 22:1 +24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 32.9% -32% vs state
NCES ID 040269002481
Student demographics
White 42.8%
Hispanic or Latino 37.1%
Two or More 10.0%
African American 7.8%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 42.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 58.0%
In-school suspensions 45
Out-of-school suspensions 19
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dysart Unified District (4243), which includes Sunset Hills Elementary.
$11,753
Per student
-22%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.2%
State 44.3%
Federal 17.5%
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
- 2,334
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,212
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,901
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,471
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,045
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
Similar other schools in Surprise
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Valley Vista High School
Standard public school
2,334 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Shadow Ridge High School
Standard public school
2,212 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Willow Canyon High School
Standard public school
1,901 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Canyon Ridge School
Standard public school
1,042 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Marley Park Elementary
Standard public school
1,023 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
Asante Preparatory Academy
Standard public school
876 students 20.1:1 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 Sunset Hills Elementary
How many students attend Sunset Hills Elementary?
Sunset Hills Elementary has 877 students enrolled. It is a other school in SURPRISE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunset Hills Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunset Hills Elementary is 22:1, which is 24% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sunset Hills Elementary?
32.9% of students at Sunset Hills Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunset Hills Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Sunset Hills Elementary is White at 42.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in SURPRISE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunset Hills Elementary?
Sunset Hills Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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.