Enrollment
941
Arizona · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 040621001499
Garden Lakes Elementary School — Avondale, AZ
Federal NCES profile for Garden Lakes Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 24/100.
👥 Class size 16
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 10
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Pendergast Elementary District (4283) · Arizona
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
21.1:1
vs 17.7:1 Arizona avg
+19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.0%
vs 48.3% Arizona avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garden Lakes Elementary School compares with Arizona and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Garden Lakes Elementary School reports 941 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 42.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 21.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% above the Arizona state mean of 17.7:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 33% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 44.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% below the Arizona average and 15% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 941 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 36.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pendergast Elementary District (4283) spends $12,408 per pupil district-wide, below the Arizona average of $15,070 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.1% from local sources (property taxes), 49.4% from the state, and 22.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Garden Lakes Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Arizona state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Arizona | Arizona avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 21.1:1 | ▲ 19% | 17.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.0% | ▼ 9% | 48.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 941 | top 90% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
44.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% below the Arizona average of 48.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
21.1:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 80% in Arizona — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
36.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,408
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arizona avg of $15,070
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 941 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 941 Top 90% in Arizona — larger than 10% of 2,186 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 42.0
Students per teacher 21.1:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 44.0% -9% vs state
NCES ID 040621001499
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 63.4%
White 16.9%
African American 10.1%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 63.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 941:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 36.0%
In-school suspensions 26
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pendergast Elementary District (4283), which includes Garden Lakes Elementary School.
$12,408
Per student
-18%
vs Arizona
Avg $15,070
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.1%
State 49.4%
Federal 22.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 932
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Enrollment
- 738
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 690
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 675
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
Similar other schools in Avondale
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Michael Anderson
Standard public school
834 students 21.7:1 students per teacher
Littleton Elementary School
Standard public school
802 students 20.6:1 students per teacher
Collier Elementary School
Standard public school
773 students 19:1 students per teacher
Rio Vista Elementary
Standard public school
662 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Canyon Breeze Elementary
Standard public school
640 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Corte Sierra Elementary School
Standard public school
564 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Garden Lakes Elementary School
How many students attend Garden Lakes Elementary School?
Garden Lakes Elementary School has 941 students enrolled. It is a other school in AVONDALE, AZ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garden Lakes Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garden Lakes Elementary School is 21.1:1, which is 19% higher than the Arizona average of 17.7:1 and 33% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garden Lakes Elementary School?
44.0% of students at Garden Lakes Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arizona average of 48.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garden Lakes Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Garden Lakes Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 63.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in AVONDALE, AZ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garden Lakes Elementary School?
Garden Lakes Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.