Other / mixed grade configuration · Silver Spring, MD

Galway Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Galway Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 240048000839
0/100100/10050/100
👥 S:T ratio
54
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
31
📋 Attendance
45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Galway Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Maryland schools.

#4 of 31
schools in Silver Spring · Resource Index
50
Resource Index · Higher
11.4:1
small classes for Maryland
65.2%
free-lunch eligible

Galway Elementary has class sizes smaller than 85% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Galway Elementary ranks #4 of 31 schools in Silver Spring, MD.

Enrollment

695

Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

61.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

11.4:1

vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg

-21% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

65.2%

vs 49.0% Maryland avg

+33% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Galway Elementary compares with Maryland and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Galway Elementary

Galway Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Silver Spring, Maryland, enrolling 695 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 11.4:1, Galway Elementary is leaner than roughly 85% of Maryland schools and 21% under the state's 14.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 65.2% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 695 puts it in the larger third of Maryland schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,382 scored Maryland schools.

Among 306 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Maryland schools statewide, it ranks #18, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by African American (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 58/100).

Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 348 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.

Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.

Among Silver Spring's public schools, it stands alongside Joann Leleck at Broad Acres Elementary (756 students): Galway Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (11.4:1 vs 10.8:1).

Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students) and Walter Johnson High (3,016 students) alongside Galway 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 Galway Elementary compares

Galway Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Maryland Maryland avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 11.4:1 ▼ 21% 14.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 65.2% ▲ 33% 49.0% 51.7%
Enrollment 695 top 30% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
695
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
65.2%
free-lunch eligible - 33% above the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.4:1
students per teacher - 21% below state mean
Top 15% in Maryland - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$18,101
per pupil, district-wide - below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 348 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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

African American 56.1%
Hispanic or Latino 31.1%
Asian 6.8%
White 3.3%
Two or More 2.7%

Largest group: African American at 56.1% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 58.2/100

Simpson diversity index - at 58.2, Galway Elementary is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montgomery County Public Schools, which includes Galway Elementary.

$18,101
Per student
-11%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 66.0%
State 23.7%
Federal 10.3%

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 Galway Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Montgomery Blair High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Walter Johnson High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Wheaton High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Gaithersburg High Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
Seneca Valley High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Galway Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Montgomery County Public Schools · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Silver Spring

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Galway Elementary's federal record.

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 Galway Elementary

How many students attend Galway Elementary?

Galway Elementary has 695 students enrolled. It is a public school in Silver Spring, MD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Galway Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Galway Elementary is 11.4:1, which is 21% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 27% 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 Galway Elementary?

65.2% of students at Galway Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Galway Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Galway Elementary is African American at 56.1% of enrollment, in Silver Spring, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.2/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Galway Elementary?

Galway 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 Galway Elementary rank among schools in Silver Spring?

By Resource Investment Index, Galway Elementary ranks #4 of 31 schools in Silver Spring, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Silver Spring on the city page.

Is Galway Elementary a good school?

Galway Elementary earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Maryland 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 Montgomery County Public Schools?

Besides Galway Elementary, Montgomery County Public Schools also operates Montgomery Blair High (3,266 students), Walter Johnson High (3,016 students), and Wheaton High (2,794 students). See the Montgomery County Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.