Enrollment
530
Rhode Island · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cranston, RI
Garden City School
Federal NCES profile for Garden City School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 440024000050
👥 S:T ratio 0
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garden City School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Rhode Island schools.
- #7 of 13
- elementary schools in Cranston · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 31.2:1
- large classes for Rhode Island
- 23.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Garden City School has class sizes larger than 99% of Rhode Island schools. Computed live against every Rhode Island school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garden City School ranks #7 of 13 elementary schools in Cranston, RI.
School address
District: Cranston · Rhode Island
NCES ID 440024000050 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
31.2:1
vs 13.8:1 Rhode Island avg
+126% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
23.9%
vs 39.6% Rhode Island avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garden City School compares with Rhode Island and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garden City School
Garden City School is a mid-sized elementary school in Cranston, Rhode Island, enrolling 530 students.
Class loads run heavy: 31.2:1 is larger than about 99% of Rhode Island schools and 126% above the 13.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 23.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 530 puts it in the larger third of Rhode Island schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 308 scored Rhode Island schools.
Against 59 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #37.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 67/100).
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Cranston's elementary schools, it stands alongside Achievement First Iluminar (465 students): Garden City School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (31.2:1 vs 12.9:1).
Cranston also operates Cranston High School West (1,653 students) and Cranston High School East (1,525 students) alongside Garden City 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 School compares
Garden City School on the metrics families compare, against Rhode Island and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Rhode Island | Rhode Island avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 31.2:1 | ▲ 126% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 23.9% | ▼ 40% | 39.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 530 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
31.2:1
Leaner classes than 2% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
530
Bigger than 65% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
23.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% below the Rhode Island average of 39.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
31.2:1
students per teacher
- 126% above state mean
Top 99% in Rhode Island - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
Engagement
9.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$17,810
per pupil, district-wide
- below Rhode Island avg of $20,315
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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 45.7%
Hispanic or Latino 32.8%
Asian 10.6%
Two or More 6.0%
African American 4.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 45.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 66.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 66.7, Garden City School is more mixed than the Rhode Island school average of 47.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cranston, which includes Garden City School.
$17,810
Per student
-12%
vs Rhode Island
Avg $20,315
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.9%
State 40.3%
Federal 10.8%
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 Garden City School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cranston High School West | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cranston High School East | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Western Hills Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Park View Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hugh B. Bain Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garden City School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,653
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,525
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 727
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 527
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar elementary schools in Cranston
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Achievement First Iluminar
Standard public school
465 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Af Iluminar Mayoral Middle Sch
Standard public school
406 students 16.9:1 students per teacher
Gladstone Street School
Standard public school
402 students 10.6:1 students per teacher
Edward S. Rhodes School
Standard public school
287 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Woodridge School
Standard public school
260 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
W. R. Dutemple School
Standard public school
254 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Rhode Island, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~530 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garden City School's federal record.
- Compare Garden City School against another school. Compare schools
- Cranston'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 School
How many students attend Garden City School?
Garden City School has 530 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cranston, RI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garden City School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garden City School is 31.2:1, which is 126% higher than the Rhode Island average of 13.8:1 and 99% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garden City School?
23.9% of students at Garden City School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Rhode Island average of 39.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garden City School?
The largest demographic group at Garden City School is White at 45.7% of enrollment, in Cranston, RI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 66.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garden City School?
Garden City School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Garden City School rank among elementary schools in Cranston?
By Resource Investment Index, Garden City School ranks #7 of 13 elementary schools in Cranston, RI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Cranston on the city page.
Is Garden City School a good school?
Garden City School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Rhode Island 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 Cranston?
Besides Garden City School, Cranston also operates Cranston High School West (1,653 students), Cranston High School East (1,525 students), and Western Hills Middle School (727 students). See the Cranston 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.