Enrollment
3,135
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 040497000419
Westwood High School — Mesa, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Westwood High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 16
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
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: Mesa Unified District (4235) · 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)
170.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Westwood 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
Westwood High School reports 3,135 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 170.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 32% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 1% above the Arizona average and 5% below the national baseline. The school offers 14 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 314 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mesa Unified District (4235) spends $13,766 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.4% from local sources (property taxes), 44.5% from the state, and 18.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Westwood 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 | 21:1 | ▲ 19% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.0% | ▲ 1% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 3,135 | top 100% | — | — |
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
49.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 1% 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
21:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 80% in Arizona — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Funding equity
$13,766
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
Counselors10.0 FTE
Per 314 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
196
in-school suspensions + 405 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 3,135 Top 100% in Arizona — larger than 0% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 170.0
Students per teacher 21:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.0% +1% vs state
NCES ID 040497000419
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 59.7%
White 19.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 10.1%
African American 5.8%
Two or More 3.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
Asian 0.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 59.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 10.0
Students per counselor 314:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 196
Out-of-school suspensions 405
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesa Unified District (4235), which includes Westwood High School.
$13,766
Per student
-9%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.4%
State 44.5%
Federal 18.1%
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
- 3,421
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 3,379
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 3,233
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,284
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,995
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
Similar high schools in Mesa
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Mountain View High School
Standard public school
3,421 students 21.1:1 students per teacher
Red Mountain High School
Standard public school
3,379 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Mesa High School
Standard public school
3,233 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Dobson High School
Standard public school
2,284 students 20.3:1 students per teacher
Skyline High School
Standard public school
1,995 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Sun Valley High School
Alternative education program
345 students
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 Westwood High School
How many students attend Westwood High School?
Westwood High School has 3,135 students enrolled. It is a high school in MESA, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Westwood High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Westwood High School is 21:1, which is 19% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 32% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Westwood High School?
49.0% of students at Westwood High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westwood High School?
The largest demographic group at Westwood High School is Hispanic or Latino at 59.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in MESA, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Westwood High School?
Westwood High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.