Enrollment
514
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Gardner, MA
Gardner Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Gardner Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250513002431
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gardner Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Massachusetts schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Gardner · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.9:1
- large classes for Massachusetts
- 514
- students enrolled
Gardner Middle School has class sizes larger than 79% of Massachusetts schools. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gardner Middle School ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Gardner, MA.
School address
District: Gardner · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250513002431 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gardner Middle School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gardner Middle School
Gardner Middle School is a mid-sized elementary school in Gardner, Massachusetts, enrolling 514 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 13.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Massachusetts schools by student-teacher ratio.
Enrollment of 514 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 (57%) and Hispanic or Latino (32%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 129 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.7% 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.
Gardner also operates Gardner Elementary School (1,087 students) and Gardner High (808 students) alongside Gardner Middle School.
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 Middle School compares
Gardner Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.9:1 | ▲ 13% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 514 | top 35% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
514
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 79% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
39.7%
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 129 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 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 57.2%
Hispanic or Latino 31.8%
Two or More 5.3%
African American 4.3%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 57.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.7, Gardner Middle School is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gardner, which includes Gardner Middle School.
$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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gardner Elementary School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Gardner High | Larger | 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 Middle School'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
- 808
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 123
- Students per teacher
- 30.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
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 (~514 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gardner Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Gardner Middle School 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 Middle School
How many students attend Gardner Middle School?
Gardner Middle School has 514 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Gardner, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gardner Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gardner Middle School is 13.9:1, which is 13% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gardner Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Gardner Middle School is White at 57.2% of enrollment, in Gardner, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gardner Middle School?
Gardner Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Middle School rank among public schools in Gardner?
By Resource Investment Index, Gardner Middle School ranks #1 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 Middle School a good school?
Gardner Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 Middle School, Gardner also operates Gardner Elementary School (1,087 students), Gardner High (808 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.