Enrollment
808
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Gardner, MA
Gardner High
Federal NCES profile for Gardner High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 250513000751
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 10
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gardner High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Massachusetts schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Gardner · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.2:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 808
- students enrolled
Gardner High has class sizes larger than 88% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gardner High ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Gardner, MA.
School address
District: Gardner · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250513000751 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardner High compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gardner High
Gardner High is a large combined-grade school in Gardner, Massachusetts, enrolling 808 students.
Class loads run heavy: 15.2:1 is larger than about 88% of Massachusetts schools and 24% above the 12.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 808 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 202 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Gardner spends $16,991 per pupil, 24% below the Massachusetts average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Gardner's public schools, it stands alongside Gardner Elementary School (1,087 students): Gardner High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.2:1 vs 17.8:1).
Gardner also operates Gardner Elementary School (1,087 students) and Gardner Middle School (514 students) alongside Gardner High.
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 Gardner High compares
Gardner High on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.2:1 | ▲ 24% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 808 | top 13% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
808
Bigger than 86% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 88% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
35.9%
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
$16,991
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 202 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 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 56.4%
Hispanic or Latino 27.5%
Two or More 8.8%
African American 4.9%
Asian 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 56.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.6, Gardner High is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gardner, which includes Gardner High.
$16,991
Per student
-24%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 12.7%
State 76.9%
Federal 10.4%
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 Gardner High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gardner Middle School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gardner Academy for Learning and Technology | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gardner High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,087
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 123
- Students per teacher
- 30.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar other schools in Gardner
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Massachusetts, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~808 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gardner High's federal record.
- Compare Gardner High against another school. Compare schools
- Gardner'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 Gardner High
How many students attend Gardner High?
Gardner High has 808 students enrolled. It is a public school in Gardner, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardner High?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardner High is 15.2:1, which is 24% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardner High?
The largest demographic group at Gardner High is White at 56.4% of enrollment, in Gardner, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardner High?
Gardner High has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Gardner High rank among public schools in Gardner?
By Resource Investment Index, Gardner High ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Gardner, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Gardner on the city page.
Is Gardner High a good school?
Gardner High earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Massachusetts 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 Gardner?
Besides Gardner High, Gardner also operates Gardner Elementary School (1,087 students), Gardner Middle School (514 students), and Gardner Academy for Learning and Technology (123 students). See the Gardner 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.