Enrollment
405
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 201299000276
Gardiner Elem — Wichita, KS
Federal NCES profile for Gardiner Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 13
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
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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.3%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+116% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardiner Elem compares with Kansas 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
Gardiner Elem reports 405 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% below the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 92.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 116% above the Kansas average and 78% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 225 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Wichita spends $17,357 per pupil district-wide, above the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 17.2% from local sources (property taxes), 70.9% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Gardiner Elem compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.9:1 | ▼ 17% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.3% | ▲ 116% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 405 | top 71% | — | — |
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
92.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 116% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 17% below state mean
Top 26% in Kansas — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
34.8%
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
$17,357
per pupil, district-wide
— above Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 225 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 405 Top 71% in Kansas — larger than 29% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 34.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 92.3% +116% vs state
NCES ID 201299000276
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 54.1%
African American 16.5%
White 16.3%
Two or More 10.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.7%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 54.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.8
Students per counselor 225:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.8%
In-school suspensions 17
Out-of-school suspensions 28
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wichita, which includes Gardiner Elem.
$17,357
Per student
+0%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 17.2%
State 70.9%
Federal 11.9%
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
- 2,435
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 2,066
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,041
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,662
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,505
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
Similar other schools in Wichita
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Christa Mcauliffe Academy
Standard public school
829 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Minneha Core Knowledge Elem
Standard public school
644 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Woodman Elem
Standard public school
612 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Cloud Elem
Standard public school
580 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Colvin Elem
Standard public school
571 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Education Imagine Academy
Standard public school
566 students 27.4:1 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 Gardiner Elem
How many students attend Gardiner Elem?
Gardiner Elem has 405 students enrolled. It is a other school in Wichita, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardiner Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardiner Elem is 11.9:1, which is 17% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 25% 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 Gardiner Elem?
92.3% of students at Gardiner Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardiner Elem?
The largest demographic group at Gardiner Elem is Hispanic or Latino at 54.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Wichita, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardiner Elem?
Gardiner Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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.