Enrollment
896
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Garden City, MI
Garden City High School
Federal NCES profile for Garden City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 261554005213
👥 S:T ratio 30
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garden City High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #4 of 5
- public schools in Garden City · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 17.6:1
- students per teacher
- 42.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Garden City High School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garden City High School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Garden City, MI.
School address
District: Garden City Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261554005213 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.0%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garden City High School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garden City High School
Garden City High School is a large high school in Garden City, Michigan, enrolling 896 students.
At 17.6:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Michigan median, within a few percentage points of the 17.5:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.0% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Michigan, bigger than 94% of state schools at 896 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 269 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #112.
Its student body is led by White (75%) and African American (13%) (diversity index 42/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 299 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Garden City Public Schools spends $18,419 per pupil, 36% above the Michigan average, a better-resourced district than most.
Garden City Public Schools also operates Farmington 56 Campus (455 students) and Garden City Middle School (423 students) alongside Garden City High School.
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 High School compares
Garden City High School on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.6:1 | ▲ 1% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.0% | ▼ 23% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 896 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
896
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 59% in Michigan - lower ratio than 41% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
51.5%
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
$18,419
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 299 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 110 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.3 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 74.9%
African American 12.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 74.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 41.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 41.7, Garden City High School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garden City Public Schools, which includes Garden City High School.
$18,419
Per student
+36%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 56.4%
Federal 9.5%
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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farmington 56 Campus | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Garden City Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Memorial Elementary 12 Campus | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Douglas Elementary 34 Campus | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cambridge Alternative High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garden City High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- Enrollment
- 423
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 419
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 412
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 258
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~896 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garden City High School's federal record.
- Compare Garden City High School against another school. Compare schools
- Garden 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 High School
How many students attend Garden City High School?
Garden City High School has 896 students enrolled. It is a high school in Garden City, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garden City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garden City High School is 17.6:1, which is 1% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garden City High School?
42.0% of students at Garden City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garden City High School?
The largest demographic group at Garden City High School is White at 74.9% of enrollment, in Garden City, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garden City High School?
Garden City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Garden City High School rank among public schools in Garden City?
By Resource Investment Index, Garden City High School ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Garden City, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Garden City on the city page.
Is Garden City High School a good school?
Garden City High School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median. 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 Garden City Public Schools?
Besides Garden City High School, Garden City Public Schools also operates Farmington 56 Campus (455 students), Garden City Middle School (423 students), and Memorial Elementary 12 Campus (419 students). See the Garden 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.