Enrollment
302
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Roanoke, VA
Garden City Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Garden City Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 510330001419
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 66
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garden City Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Virginia schools.
- #4 of 27
- schools in Roanoke · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.4:1
- small classes for Virginia
- 98.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Garden City Elementary has class sizes smaller than 97% of Virginia schools. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garden City Elementary ranks #4 of 27 schools in Roanoke, VA.
School address
District: Roanoke City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510330001419 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.4:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
-32% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.4%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garden City Elementary compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garden City Elementary
Garden City Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Roanoke, Virginia, enrolling 302 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.4:1, Garden City Elementary is leaner than roughly 97% of Virginia schools and 32% under the state's 13.9:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 98.4% of students qualify for free meals, 71% above the Virginia average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 302 puts it in the smaller third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,868 scored Virginia schools.
Among 178 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #14, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and African American (26%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 302 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
13.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 21.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Roanoke's public schools, it stands alongside Round Hill Elementary (720 students): Garden City Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.4:1 vs 14.7:1).
Roanoke City Public Schools also operates Patrick Henry High (2,030 students) and William Fleming High (1,957 students) alongside Garden City 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 Garden City Elementary compares
Garden City Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.4:1 | ▼ 32% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.4% | ▲ 71% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 302 | top 84% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.4:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
302
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% above the Virginia average of 57.6%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.4:1
students per teacher
- 32% below state mean
Top 3% in Virginia - lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
13.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$15,299
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 302 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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 53.0%
African American 25.5%
Two or More 11.9%
Hispanic or Latino 8.9%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 53.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 63.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 63.2, Garden City Elementary is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Roanoke City Public Schools, which includes Garden City Elementary.
$15,299
Per student
+4%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.8%
State 43.6%
Federal 21.7%
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 Garden City Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Henry High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| William Fleming High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Breckinridge Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Round Hill Elementary | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westside Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garden City Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,030
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,957
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 720
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 624
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools in Roanoke
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Round Hill Elementary
Standard public school
720 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Westside Elementary
Standard public school
624 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Fallon Park Elementary
Standard public school
591 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Preston Park Elementary
Standard public school
535 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Burlington Elementary
Standard public school
530 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Cave Spring Elementary
Standard public school
489 students 15.3:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~302 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garden City Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Garden City Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Roanoke City Public Schools'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 Garden City Elementary
How many students attend Garden City Elementary?
Garden City Elementary has 302 students enrolled. It is a public school in Roanoke, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garden City Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Garden City Elementary is 9.4:1, which is 32% lower than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 40% 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 Garden City Elementary?
98.4% of students at Garden City Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garden City Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Garden City Elementary is White at 53.0% of enrollment, in Roanoke, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garden City Elementary?
Garden City Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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 Garden City Elementary rank among schools in Roanoke?
By Resource Investment Index, Garden City Elementary ranks #4 of 27 schools in Roanoke, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Roanoke on the city page.
Is Garden City Elementary a good school?
Garden City Elementary earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 97% of Virginia 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 Roanoke City Public Schools?
Besides Garden City Elementary, Roanoke City Public Schools also operates Patrick Henry High (2,030 students), William Fleming High (1,957 students), and Breckinridge Middle (733 students). See the Roanoke City Public Schools 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.