Enrollment
1,431
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 040834000795
Tempe High School — Tempe, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Tempe High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 26/100.
👥 Class size 20
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 28
📋 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: Tempe Union High School District (4287) · 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)
79.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.1:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tempe High 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
Tempe High School reports 1,431 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 79.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 26% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the Arizona average and 15% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 358 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 61.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Tempe Union High School District (4287) spends $10,517 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 68.9% from local sources (property taxes), 21.9% from the state, and 9.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Tempe High 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 | 20.1:1 | ▲ 14% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.9% | ▼ 9% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,431 | top 95% | — | — |
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
43.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% 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
20.1:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 73% in Arizona — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
61.1%
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
$10,517
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 358 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 139 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,431 Top 95% in Arizona — larger than 5% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 79.0
Students per teacher 20.1:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.9% -9% vs state
NCES ID 040834000795
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 70.7%
African American 11.7%
White 7.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.1%
Two or More 3.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.7%
Asian 0.9%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 70.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 4.0
Students per counselor 358:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 61.1%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 139
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tempe Union High School District (4287), which includes Tempe High School.
$10,517
Per student
-30%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-46%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 68.9%
State 21.9%
Federal 9.2%
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
- 2,761
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,600
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,781
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,570
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,408
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
Similar high schools in Tempe
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Corona Del Sol High School
Standard public school
2,600 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Mcclintock High School
Standard public school
1,781 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Student Choice High School
Alternative education program
1,540 students
Marcos De Niza High School
Standard public school
1,408 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
International Commerce High School - Tempe
Alternative education program
290 students
Tapbi
Standard public school
175 students 28.4:1 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 Tempe High School
How many students attend Tempe High School?
Tempe High School has 1,431 students enrolled. It is a high school in TEMPE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tempe High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tempe High School is 20.1:1, which is 14% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tempe High School?
43.9% of students at Tempe High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tempe High School?
The largest demographic group at Tempe High School is Hispanic or Latino at 70.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in TEMPE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tempe High School?
Tempe High School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (F) based on 5 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.