Enrollment
400
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040916000951
Whiteriver Elementary — Whiteriver, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Whiteriver Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 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: Whiteriver Unified District (4394) · 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)
27.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.8%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whiteriver 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
Whiteriver Elementary reports 400 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 27.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 8% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 77.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% above the Arizona average and 50% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 53.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Whiteriver Unified District (4394) spends $19,556 per pupil district-wide, above the Arizona average of $15,070 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 4.8% from local sources (property taxes), 35.3% from the state, and 59.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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 Whiteriver 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 | 14.7:1 | ▼ 17% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.8% | ▲ 61% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 400 | top 48% | — | — |
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
77.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% 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
14.7:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 28% in Arizona — lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
53.5%
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
$19,556
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arizona avg of $15,070
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 400 Top 48% in Arizona — larger than 52% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 27.0
Students per teacher 14.7:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 77.8% +61% vs state
NCES ID 040916000951
Student demographics
American Indian / Alaska Native 98.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.0%
Asian 0.5%
African American 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: American Indian / Alaska Native at 98.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 53.5%
In-school suspensions 12
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Whiteriver Unified District (4394), which includes Whiteriver Elementary.
$19,556
Per student
+30%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 4.8%
State 35.3%
Federal 59.9%
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
- 742
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Enrollment
- 387
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Enrollment
- 265
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
Similar other schools in Whiteriver
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Whiteriver Elementary
How many students attend Whiteriver Elementary?
Whiteriver Elementary has 400 students enrolled. It is a other school in Whiteriver, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whiteriver Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Whiteriver Elementary is 14.7:1, which is 17% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 8% 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 Whiteriver Elementary?
77.8% of students at Whiteriver Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whiteriver Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Whiteriver Elementary is American Indian / Alaska Native at 98.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in Whiteriver, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whiteriver Elementary?
Whiteriver Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (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.