Enrollment
178
North Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 380040500917
Garden Valley Elementary School — Williston, ND
Federal NCES profile for Garden Valley Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 0
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: Williston Basin 7 · North Dakota
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)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 11.7:1 North Dakota avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.9%
vs 28.2% North Dakota avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garden Valley Elementary School compares with North Dakota 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 Valley Elementary School reports 178 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the North Dakota state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 44% below the North Dakota average and 69% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 356 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 42.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Williston Basin 7 spends $15,028 per pupil district-wide, below the North Dakota average of $22,219 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.8% from local sources (property taxes), 50.4% from the state, and 5.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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 Valley Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against North Dakota state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs North Dakota | North Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.2:1 | ▼ 4% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.9% | ▼ 44% | 28.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 178 | top 57% | — | — |
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
15.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 44% below the North Dakota average of 28.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.2:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 46% in North Dakota — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
42.1%
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
$15,028
per pupil, district-wide
— below North Dakota avg of $22,219
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 356 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 178 Top 57% in North Dakota — larger than 43% of 499 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 11.2:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.9% -44% vs state
NCES ID 380040500917
Student demographics
White 65.7%
Hispanic or Latino 20.8%
Two or More 9.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.2%
Asian 1.1%
African American 0.6%
Largest group: White at 65.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 356:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 42.1%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Williston Basin 7, which includes Garden Valley Elementary School.
$15,028
Per student
-32%
vs North Dakota
Avg $22,219
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.8%
State 50.4%
Federal 5.8%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,370
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Enrollment
- 627
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 485
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 449
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Williston
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Bakken Elementary School
Standard public school
627 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Hagan Elementary School
Standard public school
486 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
Mcvay Elementary School
Standard public school
449 students 22.3:1 students per teacher
Missouri Ridge Middle School
Standard public school
397 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Rickard Elementary School
Standard public school
319 students 16:1 students per teacher
Lewis and Clark Elementary School
Standard public school
303 students 12.7:1 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 Valley Elementary School
How many students attend Garden Valley Elementary School?
Garden Valley Elementary School has 178 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Williston, ND.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garden Valley Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garden Valley Elementary School is 11.2:1, which is 4% lower than the North Dakota average of 11.7:1 and 30% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garden Valley Elementary School?
15.9% of students at Garden Valley Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the North Dakota average of 28.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garden Valley Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Garden Valley Elementary School is White at 65.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in Williston, ND.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garden Valley Elementary School?
Garden Valley Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (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.