Enrollment
544
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Phoenix, AZ
Vista Verde Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Vista Verde Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 040593001218
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vista Verde Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median.
- #5 of 24
- middle schools in Phoenix · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.5:1
- students per teacher
- 55.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Vista Verde Middle School has class sizes near the Arizona median. Computed live against every Arizona school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Vista Verde Middle School ranks #5 of 24 middle schools in Phoenix, AZ.
School address
District: Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) · Arizona
NCES ID 040593001218 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 17:1 Arizona avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vista Verde Middle School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
What stands out at Vista Verde Middle School
Vista Verde Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Phoenix, Arizona, enrolling 544 students.
At 15.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arizona median, within a few percentage points of the 17:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.9% lands close to the Arizona typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 544 puts it in the larger third of Arizona schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,064 scored Arizona schools.
Against 359 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #62.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 272 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 70.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 195 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 544 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Phoenix's middle schools, it stands alongside Sonoran Trails Middle School (615 students): Vista Verde Middle School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.5:1 vs 17.6:1).
Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) also operates Pinnacle High School (2,430 students) and Paradise Valley High School (1,900 students) alongside Vista Verde Middle 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 Vista Verde Middle School compares
Vista Verde Middle 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 | 15.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 17:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.9% | ▲ 16% | 48.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 544 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.5:1
Leaner classes than 42% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
544
Bigger than 67% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.9%
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
15.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 41% in Arizona - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
70.0%
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
$11,154
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 272 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
90
in-school suspensions + 105 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 35.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paradise Valley Unified District (4241), which includes Vista Verde Middle School.
$11,154
Per student
-15%
vs Arizona
Avg $13,145
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.8%
State 27.3%
Federal 14.9%
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 Vista Verde Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pinnacle High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paradise Valley High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horizon High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North Canyon High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shadow Mountain High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vista Verde Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,430
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 1,900
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,767
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,560
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,080
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar middle schools in Phoenix
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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.
Similar enrollment (~544 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vista Verde Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Vista Verde Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Paradise Valley Unified District (4241)'s spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
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 Vista Verde Middle School
How many students attend Vista Verde Middle School?
Vista Verde Middle School has 544 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Phoenix, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vista Verde Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Vista Verde Middle School is 15.5:1, which is 9% lower than the Arizona average of 17:1 and 1% 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 Vista Verde Middle School?
55.9% of students at Vista Verde Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vista Verde Middle School?
Vista Verde Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical 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 Vista Verde Middle School rank among middle schools in Phoenix?
By Resource Investment Index, Vista Verde Middle School ranks #5 of 24 middle 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 middle schools in Phoenix on the city page.
Is Vista Verde Middle School a good school?
Vista Verde Middle School earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arizona median. 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 Paradise Valley Unified District (4241)?
Besides Vista Verde Middle School, Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) also operates Pinnacle High School (2,430 students), Paradise Valley High School (1,900 students), and Horizon High School (1,767 students). See the Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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.