Enrollment
952
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 040438001547
Western Sky Middle School — Goodyear, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Western Sky Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 12/100.
👥 Class size 7
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 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: Litchfield Elementary District (4281) · 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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.3:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.9%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Western Sky Middle 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
Western Sky Middle School reports 952 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 23.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 32% above the Arizona state mean of 17.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 47% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 67% below the Arizona average and 69% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Litchfield Elementary District (4281) spends $9,792 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 36.8% from local sources (property taxes), 50.0% from the state, and 13.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (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 Sky Middle 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 | 23.3:1 | ▲ 32% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.9% | ▼ 67% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 952 | top 90% | — | — |
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
15.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 67% 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
23.3:1
students per teacher
— 32% above state mean
Top 90% in Arizona — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
44.5%
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
$9,792
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
100
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 952 Top 90% in Arizona — larger than 10% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 23.3:1 +32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.9% -67% vs state
NCES ID 040438001547
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 44.4%
White 38.8%
Two or More 7.1%
African American 6.4%
Asian 2.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.5%
In-school suspensions 100
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Litchfield Elementary District (4281), which includes Western Sky Middle School.
$9,792
Per student
-35%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-50%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 36.8%
State 50.0%
Federal 13.2%
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
- 1,123
- Students per teacher
- 22.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,014
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Enrollment
- 847
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Enrollment
- 782
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 731
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
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 Sky Middle School
How many students attend Western Sky Middle School?
Western Sky Middle School has 952 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Goodyear, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Western Sky Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Western Sky Middle School is 23.3:1, which is 32% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 47% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Western Sky Middle School?
15.9% of students at Western Sky Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Western Sky Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Western Sky Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 44.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Goodyear, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Western Sky Middle School?
Western Sky Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (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.