James W. Rice Elementary School

James W. Rice Elementary School is a K-5 school of well-populated scale in PHOENIX, Arizona, operated by Alhambra Elementary District (4280), teacheing 686 students in grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 52% bigger than the typical public school in Arizona, which averages around 451 students.

Alhambra Elementary District (4280) runs 16 schools in total, collectively educating 9,742 students. James W. Rice Elementary School is one of those campuses.

Demographically, James W. Rice Elementary School records that nearly all students (91%) are Hispanic. The remainder breaks down as 4% Asian, 3% Black. The wider county runs roughly 31% Hispanic, putting the school's mix meaningfully more Hispanic than the area baseline.

On the resource side, On paper, James W. Rice Elementary School has 43 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.0:1, putting James W. Rice Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm.

Around the school, Maricopa County reports that the typical household earns roughly $89,300 per year, roughly 37% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 8%. Across Maricopa County's 1352 public schools (combined enrollment of about 725,139 students), James W. Rice Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Alhambra Preschool Academy is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 14%: 794 students in 2018 compared to 686 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share edged up from 80% to 91%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 18.1:1 in 2018 to 15.9:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for James W. Rice Elementary School typically covers fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.