Enrollment
689
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Tulare, CA
Garden Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Garden Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063987006612
👥 S:T ratio 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 8
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garden Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of California schools.
- #11 of 20
- elementary schools in Tulare · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.8:1
- large classes for California
- 69.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Garden Elementary has class sizes larger than 70% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garden Elementary ranks #11 of 20 elementary schools in Tulare, CA.
School address
District: Tulare City · California
NCES ID 063987006612 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.8:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.7%
vs 55.5% California avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garden Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garden Elementary
Garden Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Tulare, California, enrolling 689 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 23.8:1 puts it in the larger third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 69.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 689 puts it in the larger third of California schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 1,918 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #638.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (77%) and White (17%) (diversity index 38/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 36.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Tulare's elementary schools, it stands alongside Liberty Elementary (861 students): Garden Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (23.8:1 vs 26.1:1).
Tulare City also operates Mulcahy Middle (745 students) and Mission Valley Elementary (671 students) alongside Garden 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 Elementary compares
Garden Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.8:1 | ▲ 11% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.7% | ▲ 26% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 689 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.8:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
689
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 70% in California - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
36.6%
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
$14,727
per pupil, district-wide
- below California avg of $16,509
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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: 0.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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
Hispanic or Latino 77.1%
White 17.0%
African American 2.9%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 77.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.5, Garden Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tulare City, which includes Garden Elementary.
$14,727
Per student
-11%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.4%
State 72.6%
Federal 17.0%
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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulcahy Middle | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mission Valley Elementary | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pleasant Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alpine Vista | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Frank Kohn Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garden Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 745
- Students per teacher
- 22.6:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 671
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 668
- Students per teacher
- 23.9:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
- Enrollment
- 659
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 617
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar elementary schools in Tulare
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Liberty Elementary
Standard public school
861 students 26.1:1 students per teacher
Sundale Elementary
Standard public school
840 students 26.3:1 students per teacher
Mulcahy Middle
Standard public school
745 students 22.6:1 students per teacher
Mission Valley Elementary
Standard public school
671 students 23.1:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Elementary
Standard public school
668 students 23.9:1 students per teacher
Alpine Vista
Standard public school
659 students 23.5:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~689 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~23.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garden Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Garden Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Tulare City'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 Elementary
How many students attend Garden Elementary?
Garden Elementary has 689 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Tulare, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garden Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Garden Elementary is 23.8:1, which is 11% higher than the California average of 21.5:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garden Elementary?
69.7% of students at Garden Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garden Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Garden Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 77.1% of enrollment, in Tulare, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garden Elementary?
Garden Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 Elementary rank among elementary schools in Tulare?
By Resource Investment Index, Garden Elementary ranks #11 of 20 elementary schools in Tulare, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Tulare on the city page.
Is Garden Elementary a good school?
Garden Elementary earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of California 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 Tulare City?
Besides Garden Elementary, Tulare City also operates Mulcahy Middle (745 students), Mission Valley Elementary (671 students), and Pleasant Elementary (668 students). See the Tulare City 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.