1
Does Manuel Pena Jr. School have enough mental health and stress support?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
806
Elementary
DISTRICT 640 · STATE 451
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CARTWRIGHT ELEMENTARY DISTRICT (4282)·NCES 040168003122
Manuel Pena Jr. School
2550 N 79TH AVE, PHOENIX, AZ 85035 · (623) 691-3100 · Maricopa County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY11-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL806 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 30% of Arizona public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- C+Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Arizona public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
19.1:1
42 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 19.6:1 · STATE 17.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
,
Title I proxy
STATE 95%
Community
6
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 17 | 2% |
| Kindergarten | 100 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 116 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 105 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 118 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 114 | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 128 | 16% |
| Grade 6 | 102 | 13% |
| Ungraded | 6 | 1% |
This year's kindergarten class (100) is about the same size as its 6th grade class (102).
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 18% · STATE 65% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
AASA 2024-25 . % PassingEnglish Language Arts
20.0%
AZ avg 45.4% . -2.0pp since 2017
Math
18.0%
AZ avg 37.8% . -5.0pp since 2017
What this means: On the AASA, Arizona's statewide test, about 20 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 18 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Arizona schools, those numbers are about 45 and 38. Reading and writing scores are down about 2 points since 2017, while math scores are down about 5 points.
AASA results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 20.0% | 18.0% |
| 2023-24 | 24.0% | 18.0% |
| 2022-23 | 18.0% | 18.0% |
| 2021-22 | 23.0% | 20.0% |
| 2020-21 | 21.0% | 9.0% |
| 2018-19 | 33.0% | 33.0% |
| 2017-18 | 22.0% | 23.0% |
% Passing, all students and all tested grades.
Source: AASA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Manuel Pena Jr. School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Arizona | In Maricopa County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 18.0% | #800 of 1,072 ▼ 7 | #496 of 646 ▼ 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 20.0% | #893 of 1,072 ▼ 102 | #554 of 646 ▼ 63 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -2.5pp | #351 of 930 | #215 of 577 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 806 | #113 of 1,223 | #88 of 692 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.1:1 | #740 of 991 | #464 of 615 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.9% | #806 of 1,007 | #532 of 627 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +10.1% | #130 of 256 | #69 of 138 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
806
+57 (+8%) vs 2020
-13% since 2010-11, when it was 927
Student : Teacher
19.1:1
was 23.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 806 | 42.2 | 19.1:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 730 | 39.7 | 18.4:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 749 | 33.5 | 22.4:1 | 68% (508) |
| 2020-21 | 749 | 32 | 23.4:1 | N/A |
| 2017-18 | 732 | 33.5 | 21.8:1 | 87% (636) |
| 2015-16 | 858 | 34 | 25.2:1 | 100% (855) |
| 2010-11 | 927 | 49 | 18.9:1 | 90% (835) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Manuel Pena Jr. School.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (732 to 806); teachers up 26% (33.5 to 42.2).
About Manuel Pena Jr. School
A large elementary school in PHOENIX, Arizona, Manuel Pena Jr. School is part of Cartwright Elementary District (4282). The school enrolls 806 students, from pre-K through 6. An average school in this group (elementary schools in Arizona) has about 451 students.
Cartwright Elementary District (4282) has 13,436 students in 22 schools, and Manuel Pena Jr. School is one of those schools.
Manuel Pena Jr. School's enrollment is 81% Hispanic. The remaining shares are 12% Black and 3% White. Maricopa County as a whole is about 31% Hispanic, so the school's share is higher. Manuel Pena Jr. School's diversity index is 33%, against a US figure of 70%.
Manuel Pena Jr. School counts 42.2 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 19.1 students for each one. On average, elementary schools in Arizona have 17.0:1, compared with 19.1:1 here.
Manuel Pena Jr. School is graded C by allk12, scoring above 30% of Arizona public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Maricopa County census figures show that the median household income is $89,300, about 37% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. Maricopa County is home to 1,352 public schools and about 725,139 public school students.
RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS is located about 0.2 miles from Manuel Pena Jr. School. The five-mile area around Manuel Pena Jr. School holds at least 8 other public schools.
Federal records code the school's setting as City: Large.
Manuel Pena Jr. School's enrollment climbed from 749 in 2020-21 to 806 in 2024-25. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio fell from 23.4:1 to 19.1:1.
If you have questions about school safety, transportation, and start times at Manuel Pena Jr. School, you can post them here. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Maricopa County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
4,559,748
Census ACS
Median income
$89,300
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
37%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
1,352
725,139 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Cartwright Elementary District (4282)
- Frank Borman SchoolElementary · 960 students
- Charles W. Harris SchoolElementary · 875 students
- Peralta SchoolElementary · 817 students
- Sunset SchoolElementary · 739 students
- Tomahawk SchoolElementary · 718 students
- Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community SchoolElementary · 703 students
Other schools in PHOENIX
- Arizona Virtual AcademyCombined · 4,476 students
- Trevor Browne High SchoolHigh · 2,850 students
- Desert Vista High SchoolHigh · 2,761 students
- Maryvale High SchoolHigh · 2,532 students
- Pinnacle High SchoolHigh · 2,430 students
- Sunnyslope High SchoolHigh · 2,322 students
Nearby schools
- RAUL H. CASTRO MIDDLE SCHOOL: ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS0.2 mi · 545
- Amberlea Elementary School0.6 mi · 457
- Pan-American Charter School0.7 mi · 1,221
- Trevor Browne High School0.8 mi · 2,850
- Starlight Park College Preparatory and Community School0.8 mi · 703
- Peralta School1.0 mi · 817
Frequently asked questions
About Manuel Pena Jr. SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Manuel Pena Jr. School?
Manuel Pena Jr. School enrolls approximately 806 students in grades PK-06.
What grades does Manuel Pena Jr. School serve?
Manuel Pena Jr. School serves grades PK-06.
How many teachers does Manuel Pena Jr. School have?
Manuel Pena Jr. School employs 42 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 19.1:1.
What is the student diversity at Manuel Pena Jr. School?
Student demographics at Manuel Pena Jr. School are roughly 3% White, 81% Hispanic, 12% Black, 1% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Manuel Pena Jr. School in?
Manuel Pena Jr. School is part of Cartwright Elementary District (4282).
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.