Garden City operates 18 public schools serving 7,304 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Kansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 13 elementary, 3 other, 1 high, 1 middle schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 7,032 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Finney County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,751 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 22.3% local, 68.1% state, and 9.6% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $73,743 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 38/100, ranked #181 of 252 in Kansas against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 18 schools offering Advanced Placement (12 AP courses district-wide), a 340.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 30.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 72.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% White, 5.3% African American across the district's schools.
Garden City High School accounts for 27.7% of all Garden City student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Garden City-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Garden City school enrollment varies 26× across entities
Garden City school enrollment ranges from 76 students (lowest) to 1,946 students (highest), a spread of 1,870 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Garden City has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 62.7% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Garden City student-counselor ratio is 340:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Garden City is typically wider than the Garden City-aggregate figure suggests.
Garden City chronic absenteeism rate is 30.7% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Garden City has 18 schools, including 1 high, 3 other, 1 middle, 13 elementary. Total enrollment is 7,304 students.
How much does Garden City spend per student?
Garden City spends $14,751 per student. The district has an equity score of 38/100, ranking #181 in Kansas.
What is the average teacher salary in Garden City?
The average teacher salary in Garden City is $73,743 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Garden City?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Finney County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Garden City?
Garden City students are 72.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% White, 5.3% African American, 3.8% Asian, averaged across 18 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Garden City?
Garden City has an equity score of 38/100, ranking #181 out of 252 districts in Kansas. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.