Enrollment
170
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Clay Center, KS
Garfield Elem
Federal NCES profile for Garfield Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 200489000821
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garfield Elem earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Kansas schools.
- #5 of 5
- public schools in Clay Center · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 33.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Garfield Elem has class sizes near the Kansas median. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elem ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Clay Center, KS.
School address
District: Clay County · Kansas
NCES ID 200489000821 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.1%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garfield Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garfield Elem
Garfield Elem is a mid-sized elementary school in Clay Center, Kansas, enrolling 170 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 170 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 204 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #126.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Clay County also operates Lincoln Elem (341 students) and Clay Center Community High (326 students) alongside Garfield Elem.
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 Garfield Elem compares
Garfield Elem on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▲ 3% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.1% | ▼ 22% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 170 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
170
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% below the Kansas average of 42.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% above state mean
Top 62% in Kansas - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
20.6%
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
$16,186
per pupil, district-wide
- above Kansas avg of $15,487
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 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 92.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Two or More 2.4%
African American 0.6%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 92.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.5, Garfield Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clay County, which includes Garfield Elem.
$16,186
Per student
+5%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.5%
State 52.9%
Federal 10.5%
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 Garfield Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Elem | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Clay Center Community High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Clay Center Community Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wakefield Elem | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wakefield High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garfield Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 326
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 226
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 129
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 80
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kansas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~170 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garfield Elem's federal record.
- Compare Garfield Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Clay County'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 Garfield Elem
How many students attend Garfield Elem?
Garfield Elem has 170 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Clay Center, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elem is 14.2:1, which is 3% higher than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garfield Elem?
33.1% of students at Garfield Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garfield Elem?
The largest demographic group at Garfield Elem is White at 92.9% of enrollment, in Clay Center, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield Elem?
Garfield Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Garfield Elem rank among public schools in Clay Center?
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elem ranks #5 of 5 public schools in Clay Center, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Clay Center on the city page.
Is Garfield Elem a good school?
Garfield Elem earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Kansas 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 Clay County?
Besides Garfield Elem, Clay County also operates Lincoln Elem (341 students), Clay Center Community High (326 students), and Clay Center Community Middle (226 students). See the Clay County 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.