Enrollment
759
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040269002402
Thompson Ranch Elementary — El Mirage, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Thompson Ranch Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 66/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 97
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)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
64.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Thompson Ranch 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
Thompson Ranch Elementary reports 759 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 64.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% above the Arizona average and 25% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 1.2% 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 66/100 (B-), 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 Thompson Ranch 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 | 17:1 | ▼ 4% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 64.9% | ▲ 34% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 759 | top 83% | — | — |
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
64.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% 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
17:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 47% in Arizona — lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
1.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
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
40
in-school suspensions + 147 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 759 Top 83% in Arizona — larger than 17% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 17:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 64.9% +34% vs state
NCES ID 040269002402
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 66.8%
African American 14.8%
White 12.1%
Two or More 3.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Asian 1.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 66.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 1.2%
In-school suspensions 40
Out-of-school suspensions 147
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dysart Unified District (4243), which includes Thompson Ranch 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 El Mirage
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Dysart High School
Standard public school
1,471 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Riverview School
Standard public school
801 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Surprise Elementary School
Standard public school
782 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
El Mirage Elementary School
Standard public school
722 students 20.6:1 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 Thompson Ranch Elementary
How many students attend Thompson Ranch Elementary?
Thompson Ranch Elementary has 759 students enrolled. It is a other school in EL MIRAGE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thompson Ranch Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Thompson Ranch Elementary is 17:1, which is 4% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 7% 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 Thompson Ranch Elementary?
64.9% of students at Thompson Ranch Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Thompson Ranch Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Thompson Ranch Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 66.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in EL MIRAGE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Thompson Ranch Elementary?
Thompson Ranch Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 66/100 (B-) 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.