Other / mixed grade configuration · Phoenix, AZ

Tomahawk School

Federal NCES profile for Tomahawk School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 23/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 040168001055
0/100100/10023/100
👥 S:T ratio
22
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Tomahawk School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Arizona schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools.

#127 of 179
schools in Phoenix · Resource Index
23
Resource Index · Lower
19.4:1
large classes for Arizona
62.0%
free-lunch eligible

Tomahawk School has class sizes larger than 72% of Arizona schools. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Tomahawk School ranks #127 of 179 schools in Phoenix, AZ.

Enrollment

718

Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

37.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

19.4:1

vs 17:1 Arizona avg

+14% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

62.0%

vs 48.3% Arizona avg

+28% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Tomahawk School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Tomahawk School

Tomahawk School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Phoenix, Arizona, enrolling 718 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 62.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 718 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.

Against 284 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #192.

Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 19/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 718 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 41.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Phoenix's public schools, it stands alongside Pan-American Charter School (1,221 students): Tomahawk School is smaller than that campus by headcount.

Cartwright Elementary District (4282) also operates Frank Borman School (960 students) and Charles W. Harris School (875 students) alongside Tomahawk School.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Tomahawk School compares

Tomahawk School on the metrics families compare, against Arizona and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Arizona Arizona avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 19.4:1 ▲ 14% 17:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 62.0% ▲ 28% 48.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 718 top 20% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

19.4:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
718
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
62.0%
free-lunch eligible - 28% 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
19.4:1
students per teacher - 14% above state mean
Top 72% in Arizona - lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
47.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,851
per pupil, district-wide - below Arizona avg of $13,145
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 718 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 90.0%
African American 4.6%
White 2.5%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 90.0% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 18.7/100

Simpson diversity index - at 18.7, Tomahawk School is less mixed than the Arizona school average of 47.2.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cartwright Elementary District (4282), which includes Tomahawk School.

$11,851
Per student
-10%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.7%
State 42.2%
Federal 41.1%

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.

How Tomahawk School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Frank Borman School Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Charles W. Harris School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Peralta School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Manuel Pena Jr. School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Sunset School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Tomahawk School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Cartwright Elementary District (4282) · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Phoenix

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Arizona, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Tomahawk School's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Tomahawk School

How many students attend Tomahawk School?

Tomahawk School has 718 students enrolled. It is a public school in Phoenix, AZ.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Tomahawk School?

The student-teacher ratio at Tomahawk School is 19.4:1, which is 14% higher than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Tomahawk School?

62.0% of students at Tomahawk School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tomahawk School?

The largest demographic group at Tomahawk School is Hispanic or Latino at 90.0% of enrollment, in Phoenix, AZ.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Tomahawk School?

Tomahawk School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Tomahawk School rank among schools in Phoenix?

By Resource Investment Index, Tomahawk School ranks #127 of 179 schools in Phoenix, AZ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Phoenix on the city page.

Is Tomahawk School a good school?

Tomahawk School earns 23/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 72% of Arizona schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arizona schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Cartwright Elementary District (4282)?

Besides Tomahawk School, Cartwright Elementary District (4282) also operates Frank Borman School (960 students), Charles W. Harris School (875 students), and Peralta School (817 students). See the Cartwright Elementary District (4282) district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.