Enrollment
443
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040497000421
Whittier Elementary School — Mesa, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Whittier Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 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: 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
+16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Whittier Elementary 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
Whittier Elementary School reports 443 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% 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 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 16% above the Arizona average and 8% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 148 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 62.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
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 Whittier Elementary 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 29% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.0% | ▲ 16% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 443 | top 55% | — | — |
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
56.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 16% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 29% below state mean
Top 14% in Arizona — lower ratio than 86% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
62.8%
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
$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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 148 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
31
in-school suspensions + 29 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 443 Top 55% in Arizona — larger than 45% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 -29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.0% +16% vs state
NCES ID 040497000421
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 57.3%
White 18.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 11.5%
Two or More 6.1%
African American 3.4%
Asian 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 57.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 148:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 62.8%
In-school suspensions 31
Out-of-school suspensions 29
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mesa Unified District (4235), which includes Whittier Elementary 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
- 3,135
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 2,284
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
Similar other schools in Mesa
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Desert Ridge High
Standard public school
2,103 students 23.3:1 students per teacher
Gateway Polytechnic Academy
Standard public school
1,003 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Canyon Rim Elementary
Standard public school
905 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Basis Mesa
Standard public school
894 students
Franklin at Brimhall Elementary
Standard public school
889 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Augusta Ranch Elementary
Standard public school
855 students 17:1 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 Whittier Elementary School
How many students attend Whittier Elementary School?
Whittier Elementary School has 443 students enrolled. It is a other school in MESA, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Whittier Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Whittier Elementary School is 12.5:1, which is 29% lower than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 21% 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 Whittier Elementary School?
56.0% of students at Whittier Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Whittier Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Whittier Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 57.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in MESA, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Whittier Elementary School?
Whittier Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.