Enrollment
553
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 040306003085
Western Valley Middle School — Phoenix, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Western Valley Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 45
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: Fowler Elementary District (4273) · 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)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Western Valley 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 Valley Middle School reports 553 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 25.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 24% 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 38% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% above the Arizona average and 4% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 277 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fowler Elementary District (4273) spends $11,620 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.9% from local sources (property taxes), 45.2% from the state, and 13.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Valley 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 | 22:1 | ▲ 24% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.0% | ▲ 12% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 553 | top 67% | — | — |
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
54.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% 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
22:1
students per teacher
— 24% above state mean
Top 85% in Arizona — lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
22.2%
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
$11,620
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 277 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 55 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 553 Top 67% in Arizona — larger than 33% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 25.0
Students per teacher 22:1 +24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.0% +12% vs state
NCES ID 040306003085
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 79.6%
African American 10.8%
White 3.4%
Two or More 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.8%
Asian 1.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 79.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 277:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.2%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 55
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fowler Elementary District (4273), which includes Western Valley Middle School.
$11,620
Per student
-23%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 40.9%
State 45.2%
Federal 13.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 591
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
Similar middle schools in Phoenix
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Mountain Trail Middle School
Standard public school
835 students 20:1 students per teacher
Palo Verde Middle School
Standard public school
797 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Ingleside Middle School
Standard public school
789 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Mountain Sky Middle School
Standard public school
672 students 17.8:1 students per teacher
Estrella Middle School
Standard public school
650 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Greenway Middle School
Standard public school
646 students 16.8:1 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 Valley Middle School
How many students attend Western Valley Middle School?
Western Valley Middle School has 553 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Western Valley Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Western Valley Middle School is 22:1, which is 24% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Western Valley Middle School?
54.0% of students at Western Valley Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Western Valley Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Western Valley Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 79.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Western Valley Middle School?
Western Valley Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 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.