Enrollment
276
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Swansea, MA
Gardner
Federal NCES profile for Gardner, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 251146001892
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gardner earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Massachusetts schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Massachusetts schools.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Swansea · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 276
- students enrolled
Gardner has class sizes larger than 97% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gardner ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Swansea, MA.
School address
District: Swansea · Massachusetts
NCES ID 251146001892 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardner compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gardner
Gardner is a mid-sized elementary school in Swansea, Massachusetts, enrolling 276 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.4:1 is larger than about 97% of Massachusetts schools and 50% above the 12.3:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Enrollment of 276 puts it in the smaller 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 predominantly White (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 276 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Swansea spends $16,840 per pupil, 25% below the Massachusetts average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Among Swansea's elementary schools, it stands alongside Elizabeth S Brown (283 students): Gardner is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.4:1 vs 17.7:1).
Swansea also operates Joseph Case High (514 students) and Joseph Case Jr High (490 students) alongside Gardner.
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 compares
Gardner on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.4:1 | ▲ 50% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 276 | top 76% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
276
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 50% above state mean
Top 97% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.5%
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
$16,840
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 276 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
- 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 89.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.3%
African American 2.9%
Asian 1.8%
Two or More 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 89.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.9, Gardner is less mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Swansea, which includes Gardner.
$16,840
Per student
-25%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.9%
State 40.7%
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 Gardner Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Case High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Joseph Case Jr High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Elizabeth S Brown | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mark G Hoyle Elementary | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Joseph G Luther | Smaller | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gardner's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 283
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 194
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar elementary schools in Swansea
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary 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 (~276 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gardner's federal record.
- Compare Gardner against another school. Compare schools
- Swansea'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
How many students attend Gardner?
Gardner has 276 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Swansea, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardner?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardner is 18.4:1, which is 50% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardner?
The largest demographic group at Gardner is White at 89.9% of enrollment, in Swansea, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardner?
Gardner has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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 Gardner rank among elementary schools in Swansea?
By Resource Investment Index, Gardner ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Swansea, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Swansea on the city page.
Is Gardner a good school?
Gardner earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Massachusetts schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Swansea?
Besides Gardner, Swansea also operates Joseph Case High (514 students), Joseph Case Jr High (490 students), and Elizabeth S Brown (283 students). See the Swansea 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.