Enrollment
508
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Poway, CA
Garden Road Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Garden Road Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 063153004886
👥 S:T ratio 22
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garden Road Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #4 of 7
- elementary schools in Poway · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 19.5:1
- students per teacher
- 14.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Garden Road Elementary has class sizes near the California median. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garden Road Elementary ranks #4 of 7 elementary schools in Poway, CA.
School address
District: Poway Unified · California
NCES ID 063153004886 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
-74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garden Road Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garden Road Elementary
Garden Road Elementary is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Poway, California, enrolling 508 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 19.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 14.2% free-meal eligibility runs 74% below the California average.
With 508 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 9,998 scored California schools.
Among 1,075 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need California schools statewide, it ranks #949, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (24%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 847 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Poway's elementary schools, it stands alongside Chaparral Elementary (858 students): Garden Road Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.5:1 vs 23.8:1).
Poway Unified also operates Del Norte High (2,557 students) and Rancho Bernardo High (2,210 students) alongside Garden Road 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 Road Elementary compares
Garden Road 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 | 19.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.2% | ▼ 74% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 508 | top 44% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.5:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
508
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
14.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% below the California average of 55.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.5:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 31% in California - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$13,960
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
Counselors0.6 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 46.4%
Hispanic or Latino 23.9%
Asian 14.0%
Two or More 14.0%
African American 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 46.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.8, Garden Road Elementary is more mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poway Unified, which includes Garden Road Elementary.
$13,960
Per student
-15%
vs California
Avg $16,509
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 39.4%
Federal 6.4%
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 Road Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Del Norte High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rancho Bernardo High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westview High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Poway High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mt. Carmel High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garden Road Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,557
- Students per teacher
- 26.9:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 2,210
- Students per teacher
- 24.8:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 2,116
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 2,101
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
- Enrollment
- 1,800
- Students per teacher
- 22.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
Similar elementary schools in Poway
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Chaparral Elementary
Standard public school
858 students 23.8:1 students per teacher
Valley Elementary
Standard public school
663 students 23.7:1 students per teacher
Painted Rock Elementary
Standard public school
613 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Midland Elementary
Standard public school
580 students 23.2:1 students per teacher
Tierra Bonita Elementary
Standard public school
377 students 23.6:1 students per teacher
Pomerado Elementary
Standard public school
305 students 20.3:1 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 (~508 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garden Road Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Garden Road Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Poway Unified'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 Road Elementary
How many students attend Garden Road Elementary?
Garden Road Elementary has 508 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Poway, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garden Road Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Garden Road Elementary is 19.5:1, which is 9% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garden Road Elementary?
14.2% of students at Garden Road Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garden Road Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Garden Road Elementary is White at 46.4% of enrollment, in Poway, CA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garden Road Elementary?
Garden Road Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower 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 Road Elementary rank among elementary schools in Poway?
By Resource Investment Index, Garden Road Elementary ranks #4 of 7 elementary schools in Poway, 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 Poway on the city page.
Is Garden Road Elementary a good school?
Garden Road Elementary earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the California median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Poway Unified?
Besides Garden Road Elementary, Poway Unified also operates Del Norte High (2,557 students), Rancho Bernardo High (2,210 students), and Westview High (2,116 students). See the Poway Unified 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.