Enrollment
376
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 040593000610
Whispering Wind Academy — Phoenix, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Whispering Wind Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 62/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
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: Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) · 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)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whispering Wind Academy 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
Whispering Wind Academy reports 376 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 45.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 35% 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 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 22% below the Arizona average and 27% below the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Paradise Valley Unified District (4241) spends $14,378 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.8% from local sources (property taxes), 27.3% from the state, and 14.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (C+), calculated from 2 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 Whispering Wind Academy 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 | 11.5:1 | ▼ 35% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.8% | ▼ 22% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 376 | top 45% | — | — |
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
37.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 22% 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
11.5:1
students per teacher
— 35% below state mean
Top 10% in Arizona — lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$14,378
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
6
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 376 Top 45% in Arizona — larger than 55% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 45.0
Students per teacher 11.5:1 -35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.8% -22% vs state
NCES ID 040593000610
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 45.2%
White 40.2%
Two or More 7.7%
Asian 3.7%
African American 2.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 45.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 6
Out-of-school suspensions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paradise Valley Unified District (4241), which includes Whispering Wind Academy.
$14,378
Per student
-5%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,430
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,900
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,767
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 1,560
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,080
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Phoenix
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Academy of Math and Science Desert Sky
Standard public school
1,339 students
Legacy Traditional School - Phoenix
Standard public school
1,323 students
Academy of Math and Science Camelback
Standard public school
1,063 students
Academy of Math and Science South Mountain
Standard public school
960 students
Madison #1 Elementary School
Standard public school
874 students 20.3:1 students per teacher
Madison Meadows School
Standard public school
846 students 23.6:1 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 Whispering Wind Academy
How many students attend Whispering Wind Academy?
Whispering Wind Academy has 376 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whispering Wind Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Whispering Wind Academy is 11.5:1, which is 35% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 28% lower 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 Whispering Wind Academy?
37.8% of students at Whispering Wind Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whispering Wind Academy?
The largest demographic group at Whispering Wind Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 45.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in PHOENIX, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whispering Wind Academy?
Whispering Wind Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 62/100 (C+) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.