Enrollment
763
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040269002679
Western Peaks Elementary — Surprise, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Western Peaks Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 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: 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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Western Peaks 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
Western Peaks Elementary reports 763 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% 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 9% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% below the Arizona average and 36% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 43.3% 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 33/100 (F), 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 Western Peaks 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 | 17.4:1 | ▼ 2% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.0% | ▼ 32% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 763 | 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
33.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher
— 2% below state mean
Top 50% in Arizona — lower ratio than 50% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.3%
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
$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
5
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 763 Top 83% in Arizona — larger than 17% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 17.4:1 -2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.0% -32% vs state
NCES ID 040269002679
Student demographics
White 44.4%
Hispanic or Latino 35.4%
Two or More 9.7%
African American 7.2%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 44.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 43.3%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dysart Unified District (4243), which includes Western Peaks 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 Surprise
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Valley Vista High School
Standard public school
2,334 students 24.2:1 students per teacher
Shadow Ridge High School
Standard public school
2,212 students 21.9:1 students per teacher
Willow Canyon High School
Standard public school
1,901 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Canyon Ridge School
Standard public school
1,042 students 21.5:1 students per teacher
Marley Park Elementary
Standard public school
1,023 students 21.3:1 students per teacher
Sunset Hills Elementary
Standard public school
877 students 22:1 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 Western Peaks Elementary
How many students attend Western Peaks Elementary?
Western Peaks Elementary has 763 students enrolled. It is a other school in SURPRISE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Western Peaks Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Western Peaks Elementary is 17.4:1, which is 2% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 9% 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 Western Peaks Elementary?
33.0% of students at Western Peaks Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Western Peaks Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Western Peaks Elementary is White at 44.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in SURPRISE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Western Peaks Elementary?
Western Peaks Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) 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.