Enrollment
239
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 260110304717
Gardner Elementary School — Detroit, MI
Federal NCES profile for Gardner Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 20
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 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: Detroit Public Schools Community District · Michigan
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
20.1:1
vs 18.2:1 Michigan avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.9%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
+62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardner Elementary School compares with Michigan 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
Gardner Elementary School reports 239 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 14.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Michigan state mean of 18.2:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 87.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 62% above the Michigan average and 70% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 239 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 100.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Detroit Public Schools Community District spends $22,228 per pupil district-wide, above the Michigan average of $15,842 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.1% from local sources (property taxes), 41.7% from the state, and 19.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 Gardner Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Michigan state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20.1:1 | ▲ 10% | 18.2:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.9% | ▲ 62% | 54.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 239 | top 30% | — | — |
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
87.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 62% above the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.1:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 81% in Michigan — lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
100.0%
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
$22,228
per pupil, district-wide
— above Michigan avg of $15,842
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 239 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 239 Top 30% in Michigan — larger than 70% of 3,399 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 14.0
Students per teacher 20.1:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 87.9% +62% vs state
NCES ID 260110304717
Student demographics
African American 47.3%
White 37.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.8%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 47.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 239:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 100.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Detroit Public Schools Community District, which includes Gardner Elementary School.
$22,228
Per student
+40%
vs Michigan
Avg $15,842
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.1%
State 41.7%
Federal 19.1%
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
- 2,493
- Students per teacher
- 24.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,959
- Students per teacher
- 25.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,197
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,002
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
Similar other schools in Detroit
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Detroit Edison Public School Academy
Standard public school
901 students 29.7:1 students per teacher
John R King Academic and Performing Arts Academy
Standard public school
879 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Academy of the Americas High School
Standard public school
874 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Detroit Service Learning Academy Campus
Standard public school
847 students 60.1:1 students per teacher
Ronald Brown Academy
Standard public school
834 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Bates Academy
Standard public school
773 students 18.9:1 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 Gardner Elementary School
How many students attend Gardner Elementary School?
Gardner Elementary School has 239 students enrolled. It is a other school in DETROIT, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardner Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardner Elementary School is 20.1:1, which is 10% higher than the Michigan average of 18.2:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gardner Elementary School?
87.9% of students at Gardner Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardner Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Gardner Elementary School is African American at 47.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in DETROIT, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardner Elementary School?
Gardner Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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.