Enrollment
165
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040593003431
Sweetwater Community School — Phoenix, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Sweetwater Community School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 81
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 89
📋 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: Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) · 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
4.8:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-73% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.6%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sweetwater 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
Sweetwater Community School reports 165 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 4.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 73% 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 70% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 40.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% below the Arizona average and 22% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 55 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) spends $14,378 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.8% from local sources (property taxes), 27.3% from the state, and 14.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+), 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 Sweetwater 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 | 4.8:1 | ▼ 73% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.6% | ▼ 16% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 165 | top 25% | — | — |
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
40.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
4.8:1
students per teacher
— 73% below state mean
Top 2% in Arizona — lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
100.0%
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
$14,378
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 55 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 165 Top 25% in Arizona — larger than 75% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 4.8:1 -73% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 40.6% -16% vs state
NCES ID 040593003431
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 63.6%
White 22.4%
African American 5.5%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 55:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 10
Expulsions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paradise Valley Unified District (4241), which includes Sweetwater Community School.
$14,378
Per student
-5%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.8%
State 27.3%
Federal 14.9%
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
- 2,430
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,900
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,767
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 1,560
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,080
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
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 Sweetwater Community School
How many students attend Sweetwater Community School?
Sweetwater Community School has 165 students enrolled. It is a other school in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sweetwater Community School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sweetwater Community School is 4.8:1, which is 73% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 70% lower 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 Sweetwater Community School?
40.6% of students at Sweetwater Community School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sweetwater Community School?
The largest demographic group at Sweetwater Community School is Hispanic or Latino at 63.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sweetwater Community School?
Sweetwater Community School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.