Enrollment
423
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Garden City, MI
Garden City Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Garden City Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 261554005217
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garden City Middle School earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Garden City · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- students per teacher
- 55.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Garden City Middle School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garden City Middle School ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Garden City, MI.
School address
District: Garden City Public Schools · Michigan
NCES ID 261554005217 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.6%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garden City Middle School compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garden City Middle School
Garden City Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Garden City, Michigan, enrolling 423 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.6% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 423 students, its enrollment sits close to the Michigan median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 696 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #114.
Its student body is led by White (74%) and African American (10%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 132 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.0% 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.
Discipline events run high: 135 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 423 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Garden City Public Schools also operates Garden City High School (896 students) and Farmington 56 Campus (455 students) alongside Garden City Middle 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 Middle School compares
Garden City Middle 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 5% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.6% | ▲ 2% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 423 | top 37% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
423
Bigger than 51% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 67% in Michigan - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
43.0%
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
$18,419
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
Counselors3.2 FTE
Per 132 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
47
in-school suspensions + 88 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.9 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 74.0%
African American 10.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 6.4%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 74.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.9, Garden City Middle School is more mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garden City Public Schools, which includes Garden City Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Farmington 56 Campus | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Memorial Elementary 12 Campus | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Douglas Elementary 34 Campus | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cambridge Alternative High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garden City Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 896
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 455
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
- 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 middle 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 (~423 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garden City Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Garden City Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Garden City Middle School?
Garden City Middle School has 423 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Garden City, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garden City Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garden City Middle School is 18.4:1, which is 5% higher than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garden City Middle School?
55.6% of students at Garden City Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garden City Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Garden City Middle School is White at 74.0% of enrollment, in Garden City, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garden City Middle School?
Garden City Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (typical 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 Middle School rank among public schools in Garden City?
By Resource Investment Index, Garden City Middle School ranks #3 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 Middle School a good school?
Garden City Middle School earns 32/100 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 Middle School, Garden City Public Schools also operates Garden City High School (896 students), Farmington 56 Campus (455 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.