Enrollment
563
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040775003099
Sunset Ridge School — Phoenix, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Sunset Ridge School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 3
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: Deer Valley Unified District (4246) · 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.2:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
16.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sunset Ridge 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
Sunset Ridge School reports 563 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% 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 8% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 16.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 67% below the Arizona average and 69% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 375 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Deer Valley Unified District (4246) spends $11,201 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.9% from local sources (property taxes), 38.6% from the state, and 12.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Sunset Ridge 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 | 17.2:1 | ▼ 3% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 16.0% | ▼ 67% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 563 | top 68% | — | — |
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
16.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 67% 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
17.2:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 49% in Arizona — lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.9%
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
$11,201
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 375 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 563 Top 68% in Arizona — larger than 32% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 17.2:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 16.0% -67% vs state
NCES ID 040775003099
Student demographics
White 68.7%
Hispanic or Latino 17.8%
Two or More 7.1%
African American 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 68.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 375:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.9%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 23
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Deer Valley Unified District (4246), which includes Sunset Ridge School.
$11,201
Per student
-26%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 48.9%
State 38.6%
Federal 12.6%
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
- 2,823
- Students per teacher
- 25.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,658
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Enrollment
- 2,221
- Students per teacher
- 24:1
- Enrollment
- 1,707
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,602
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
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 Sunset Ridge School
How many students attend Sunset Ridge School?
Sunset Ridge School has 563 students enrolled. It is a other school in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sunset Ridge School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sunset Ridge School is 17.2:1, which is 3% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 8% 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 Sunset Ridge School?
16.0% of students at Sunset Ridge School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sunset Ridge School?
The largest demographic group at Sunset Ridge School is White at 68.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sunset Ridge School?
Sunset Ridge School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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.