Enrollment
71
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 040891000911
Valley Union High School — Elfrida, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Valley Union High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 47
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 86
📋 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 →
The verdict
Valley Union High School earns an F Resource Investment Index (35/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of Arizona schools.
- F
- Resource Index · 35/100
- 13.3:1
- small classes for Arizona
- 46.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 71
- students enrolled
School address
District: Valley Union High School District (4190) · 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)
8.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.2%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Valley Union 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
Valley Union High School reports 71 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 8.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 15.7:1, it is 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 4% below the Arizona average and 11% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 71 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 80.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Valley Union High School District (4190) spends $20,131 per pupil district-wide, above the Arizona average of $13,145 and above the national average of $16,593. Revenue comes 71.9% from local sources (property taxes), 15.5% from the state, and 12.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Valley Union 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 25% | 17.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.2% | ▼ 4% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 71 | top 14% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
13 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 66% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
71 larger than 7% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
46.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 4% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
— 25% below state mean
Top 18% in Arizona — lower ratio than 82% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
80.3%
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
$20,131
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arizona avg of $13,145
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 71 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 71 Top 14% in Arizona — larger than 86% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 8.0
Students per teacher 13.3:1 -25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.2% -4% vs state
NCES ID 040891000911
Student demographics
White 52.1%
Hispanic or Latino 45.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.4%
Two or More 1.4%
Largest group: White at 52.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP program Not offered
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 71:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 80.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Valley Union High School District (4190), which includes Valley Union High School.
$20,131
Per student
+53%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
+21%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 71.9%
State 15.5%
Federal 12.6%
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.
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 Valley Union High School
How many students attend Valley Union High School?
Valley Union High School has 71 students enrolled. It is a high school in ELFRIDA, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley Union High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Valley Union High School is 13.3:1, which is 25% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Valley Union High School?
46.2% of students at Valley Union High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Valley Union High School?
The largest demographic group at Valley Union High School is White at 52.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in ELFRIDA, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Valley Union High School?
Valley Union High School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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.
Is Valley Union High School a good school?
Valley Union High School earns an F Resource Investment Index (35/100), even as it posts class sizes smaller than 82% of Arizona schools. The Resource Investment Index reflects staffing, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance reported to NCES, not test scores or academic outcomes, so treat it as a resource snapshot rather than an overall rating.