Enrollment
411
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Champaign, IL
Garden Hills Elem School
Federal NCES profile for Garden Hills Elem School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 15/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 170942000548
👥 S:T ratio 14
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garden Hills Elem School earns 15/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Illinois schools.
- #11 of 11
- elementary schools in Champaign · Resource Index
- 15
- Resource Index · Lower
- 21.6:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 411
- students enrolled
Garden Hills Elem School has class sizes larger than 97% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garden Hills Elem School ranks #11 of 11 elementary schools in Champaign, IL.
School address
District: Champaign Cusd 4 · Illinois
NCES ID 170942000548 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.6:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garden Hills Elem School compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garden Hills Elem School
Teacher staffing is the clearest operational constraint
Garden Hills Elem School's enrollment sits away from the most extreme size bands, but its reported student-teacher ratio is heavier than most Illinois schools. That isolates staffing load as a more useful concern than raw campus size. A high ratio does not establish weak teaching or outcomes, yet it can indicate less adult capacity per enrolled student. The remaining federal indicators show whether support staffing and program access offset that pressure.
Attendance is the dominant support signal
Garden Hills Elem School's 60.8% chronic-absence rate is more consequential than a generic staffing label: at least one quarter of students missed 10% or more of school days in the 2021-22 collection. That level can affect instruction, counseling demand, and continuity even when other reported resources look ordinary. The dataset records the scale of absence but not its causes, so it should prompt a current-year question rather than a conclusion about school management.
Garden Hills Elem School is a mid-sized elementary school in Champaign, Illinois, enrolling 411 students.
Class loads run heavy: 21.6:1 is larger than about 97% of Illinois schools and 54% above the 14:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
With 411 students, its enrollment sits close to the Illinois median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 3,845 Illinois schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is led by African American (58%) and Hispanic or Latino (27%) (diversity index 58/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 60.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 84 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 411 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Champaign's elementary schools, it stands alongside International Prep Academy (681 students): Garden Hills Elem School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (21.6:1 vs 14.2:1).
Champaign Cusd 4 also operates Central High School (1,666 students) and Centennial High School (1,476 students) alongside Garden Hills Elem 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 Hills Elem School compares
Garden Hills Elem School on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.6:1 | ▲ 54% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 411 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
21.6:1
Leaner classes than 11% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
411
Bigger than 49% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
21.6:1
students per teacher
- 54% above state mean
Top 97% in Illinois - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
60.8%
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
$17,883
per pupil, district-wide
- above Illinois avg of $17,042
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 + 84 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Student demographics
African American 57.9%
Hispanic or Latino 27.0%
White 6.8%
Two or More 4.6%
Asian 3.6%
Largest group: African American at 57.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.4, Garden Hills Elem School is more mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Champaign Cusd 4, which includes Garden Hills Elem School.
$17,883
Per student
+5%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.3%
State 26.0%
Federal 10.7%
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 Hills Elem School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Centennial High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Jefferson Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| International Prep Academy | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Franklin Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garden Hills Elem School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,666
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 1,476
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 681
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar elementary schools in Champaign
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
International Prep Academy
Standard public school
681 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Bottenfield Elem School
Standard public school
456 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Stratton Elementary School
Standard public school
454 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Robeson Elem School
Standard public school
439 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Westview Elem School
Standard public school
434 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Dr Howard Elem School
Standard public school
426 students 14.2:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~411 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~21.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garden Hills Elem School's federal record.
- Compare Garden Hills Elem School against another school. Compare schools
- Champaign Cusd 4'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 Hills Elem School
How many students attend Garden Hills Elem School?
Garden Hills Elem School has 411 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Champaign, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garden Hills Elem School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garden Hills Elem School is 21.6:1, which is 54% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garden Hills Elem School?
The largest demographic group at Garden Hills Elem School is African American at 57.9% of enrollment, in Champaign, IL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garden Hills Elem School?
Garden Hills Elem School has a Resource Investment Index of 15/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Garden Hills Elem School rank among elementary schools in Champaign?
By Resource Investment Index, Garden Hills Elem School ranks #11 of 11 elementary schools in Champaign, IL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Champaign on the city page.
What other schools are in Champaign Cusd 4?
Besides Garden Hills Elem School, Champaign Cusd 4 also operates Central High School (1,666 students), Centennial High School (1,476 students), and Jefferson Middle School (711 students). See the Champaign Cusd 4 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, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.