Enrollment
368
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ottawa, KS
Garfield Elem
Federal NCES profile for Garfield Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 200001500459
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garfield Elem earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median.
- #2 of 5
- schools in Ottawa · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.1:1
- students per teacher
- 47.5%
- 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 #2 of 5 schools in Ottawa, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
47.5%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+11% 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 combined-grade school in Ottawa, Kansas, enrolling 368 students.
At 13.1:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Kansas median, within a few percentage points of the 13.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 47.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 368 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Among 279 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #240, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 368 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 7 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Ottawa's public schools, it stands alongside Ottawa Sr High (681 students): Garfield Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.1:1 vs 12.6:1).
Ottawa also operates Ottawa Sr High (681 students) and Ottawa Middle School (456 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 5% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 47.5% | ▲ 11% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 368 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.1:1
Leaner classes than 66% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
368
Bigger than 42% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
47.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.1:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 47% in Kansas - lower ratio than 53% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.6%
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
$12,994
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 368 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 7 expulsions.
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 85.1%
Hispanic or Latino 7.3%
Two or More 5.2%
African American 1.4%
Asian 0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 85.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.7, Garfield Elem is less mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ottawa, which includes Garfield Elem.
$12,994
Per student
-16%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 20.6%
State 70.6%
Federal 8.8%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Sr High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ottawa Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sunflower Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Elem | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ottawa Virtual School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Garfield Elem's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 681
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 298
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 14
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar other schools in Ottawa
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Ottawa Sr High
Standard public school
681 students 12.6:1 students per teacher
Sunflower Elementary School
Standard public school
333 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Lincoln Elem
Standard public school
298 students 10.6:1 students per teacher
Ottawa Virtual School
Standard public school
14 students
Similar other 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 (~368 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garfield Elem's federal record.
- Compare Garfield Elem against another school. Compare schools
- Ottawa'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 368 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ottawa, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elem is 13.1:1, which is 5% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 17% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garfield Elem?
47.5% 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 85.1% of enrollment, in Ottawa, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield Elem?
Garfield Elem 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 Garfield Elem rank among schools in Ottawa?
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elem ranks #2 of 5 schools in Ottawa, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Ottawa on the city page.
Is Garfield Elem a good school?
Garfield Elem earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kansas median. 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 Ottawa?
Besides Garfield Elem, Ottawa also operates Ottawa Sr High (681 students), Ottawa Middle School (456 students), and Sunflower Elementary School (333 students). See the Ottawa 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.