Enrollment
483
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 040906001117
Sweetwater School — Glendale, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Sweetwater School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 63
🌟 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)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.3:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sweetwater 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 School reports 483 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 46.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 47% 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 42% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% above the Arizona average and 8% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 55.3% 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 44/100 (D), 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 Sweetwater 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 | 9.3:1 | ▼ 47% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.8% | ▲ 16% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 483 | top 59% | — | — |
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
55.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
9.3:1
students per teacher
— 47% below state mean
Top 5% in Arizona — lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
55.3%
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
4
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 483 Top 59% in Arizona — larger than 41% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 46.0
Students per teacher 9.3:1 -47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.8% +16% vs state
NCES ID 040906001117
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 48.9%
White 37.1%
Two or More 5.4%
African American 4.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.7%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 48.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 55.3%
In-school suspensions 4
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Washington Elementary School District (4260), which includes Sweetwater 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 elementary schools in Glendale
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Academy of Math and Science Glendale
Standard public school
1,085 students
Horizon School
Standard public school
856 students 22.7:1 students per teacher
Challenger Middle School
Standard public school
839 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Heritage Elementary School
Standard public school
832 students
Harold W Smith School
Standard public school
719 students 29.7:1 students per teacher
Carol G. Peck Elementary School
Standard public school
665 students 18.5:1 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 Sweetwater School
How many students attend Sweetwater School?
Sweetwater School has 483 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in GLENDALE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sweetwater School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sweetwater School is 9.3:1, which is 47% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 42% 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 School?
55.8% of students at Sweetwater School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sweetwater School?
The largest demographic group at Sweetwater School is Hispanic or Latino at 48.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in GLENDALE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sweetwater School?
Sweetwater School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) 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.