Enrollment
344
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · North Liberty, IA
Buford Garner Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Buford Garner Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 191470002133
👥 S:T ratio 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 40
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Buford Garner Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools.
- #2 of 5
- schools in North Liberty · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.1:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 34.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Buford Garner Elementary has class sizes smaller than 93% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Buford Garner Elementary ranks #2 of 5 schools in North Liberty, IA.
School address
District: Iowa City Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 191470002133 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buford Garner Elementary compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Buford Garner Elementary
Buford Garner Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in North Liberty, Iowa, enrolling 344 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.1:1, Buford Garner Elementary is leaner than roughly 93% of Iowa schools and 32% under the state's 14.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 34.2% lands close to the Iowa typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 344 students, its enrollment sits close to the Iowa median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 451 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #188.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and African American (13%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 344 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 24.1% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among North Liberty's public schools, it stands alongside Penn Elementary School (512 students): Buford Garner Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (10.1:1 vs 15.5:1).
Iowa City Comm School District also operates Iowa City High School (1,666 students) and West Senior High School (1,514 students) alongside Buford Garner Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Buford Garner Elementary compares
Buford Garner Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.1:1 | ▼ 32% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.2% | ▼ 6% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 344 | top 43% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.1:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
344
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% below the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.1:1
students per teacher
- 32% below state mean
Top 7% in Iowa - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
24.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,920
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 344 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 60.8%
African American 13.4%
Two or More 11.9%
Hispanic or Latino 11.6%
Asian 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
Largest group: White at 60.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.4, Buford Garner Elementary is more mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Iowa City Comm School District, which includes Buford Garner Elementary.
$13,920
Per student
+8%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.7%
State 41.5%
Federal 12.8%
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.
How Buford Garner Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa City High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| West Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Liberty High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southeast Junior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northwest Junior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Buford Garner Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,666
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,514
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 1,286
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,269
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,113
- Students per teacher
- 20.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
Similar other schools in North Liberty
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Penn Elementary School
Standard public school
512 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Christine Grant Elementary
Standard public school
426 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
James Van Allen Elementary School
Standard public school
376 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
North Bend Elementary
Standard public school
326 students 13:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Iowa, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~344 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Buford Garner Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Buford Garner Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Iowa City Comm School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Buford Garner Elementary
How many students attend Buford Garner Elementary?
Buford Garner Elementary has 344 students enrolled. It is a public school in North Liberty, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buford Garner Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Buford Garner Elementary is 10.1:1, which is 32% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 36% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buford Garner Elementary?
34.2% of students at Buford Garner Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buford Garner Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Buford Garner Elementary is White at 60.8% of enrollment, in North Liberty, IA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buford Garner Elementary?
Buford Garner Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Buford Garner Elementary rank among schools in North Liberty?
By Resource Investment Index, Buford Garner Elementary ranks #2 of 5 schools in North Liberty, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in North Liberty on the city page.
Is Buford Garner Elementary a good school?
Buford Garner Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 93% of Iowa schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Iowa schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Iowa City Comm School District?
Besides Buford Garner Elementary, Iowa City Comm School District also operates Iowa City High School (1,666 students), West Senior High School (1,514 students), and Liberty High School (1,286 students). See the Iowa City Comm School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.