Enrollment
276
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 251146001892
Gardner — Swansea, MA
Federal NCES profile for Gardner, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 44
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: Swansea · Massachusetts
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)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 12.1:1 Massachusetts avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardner compares with Massachusetts 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 reports 276 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 40% above the Massachusetts state mean of 12.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 276 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Swansea spends $17,903 per pupil district-wide, below the Massachusetts average of $28,509 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.9% from local sources (property taxes), 40.7% from the state, and 6.4% 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 Gardner compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Massachusetts state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.9:1 | ▲ 40% | 12.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 276 | top 24% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
— 40% above state mean
Top 96% in Massachusetts — lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.5%
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
$17,903
per pupil, district-wide
— below Massachusetts avg of $28,509
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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
Enrollment 276 Top 24% in Massachusetts — larger than 76% of 1,831 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 16.9:1 +40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 251146001892
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 276:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Swansea, which includes Gardner.
$17,903
Per student
-37%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $28,509
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 283
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 234
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 194
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Swansea
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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
How many students attend Gardner?
Gardner has 276 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Swansea, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardner?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardner is 16.9:1, which is 40% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.1:1 and 6% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardner?
The largest demographic group at Gardner is White at 89.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Swansea, MA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardner?
Gardner 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.