Enrollment
455
California · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Bell Gardens, CA
Garfield Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Garfield Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 062547003797
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garfield Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California schools.
- #2 of 4
- elementary schools in Bell Gardens · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.5:1
- small classes for California
- 77.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Garfield Elementary has class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. Computed live against every California school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elementary ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Bell Gardens, CA.
School address
District: Montebello Unified · California
NCES ID 062547003797 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 21.5:1 California avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.2%
vs 55.5% California avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garfield Elementary compares with California and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garfield Elementary
Garfield Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Bell Gardens, California, enrolling 455 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 17.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of California schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 455 students, its enrollment sits close to the California median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 9,998 scored California schools.
Against 2,121 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #324.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 303 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Montebello Unified spends $20,966 per pupil, 27% above the California average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 24.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Bell Gardens's elementary schools, it stands alongside Cesar E. Chavez Elementary (702 students): Garfield Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.5:1 vs 18.5:1).
Montebello Unified also operates Schurr High (2,121 students) and Bell Gardens High (2,046 students) alongside Garfield Elementary.
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 Elementary compares
Garfield Elementary on the metrics families compare, against California and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs California | California avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▼ 19% | 21.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.2% | ▲ 39% | 55.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 455 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
455
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% above the California average of 55.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 19% below state mean
Top 19% in California - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.7%
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
$20,966
per pupil, district-wide
- above California avg of $16,509
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 303 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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
Hispanic or Latino 97.8%
African American 0.9%
White 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.3, Garfield Elementary is less mixed than the California school average of 46.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Montebello Unified, which includes Garfield Elementary.
$20,966
Per student
+27%
vs California
Avg $16,509
+26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.8%
State 57.9%
Federal 24.4%
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 Garfield Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schurr High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bell Gardens High | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Montebello High | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bell Gardens Intermediate | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Greenwood Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garfield Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,121
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 2,046
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,907
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 746
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar elementary schools in Bell Gardens
3 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 California, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~455 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garfield Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Garfield Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Montebello Unified'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 Elementary
How many students attend Garfield Elementary?
Garfield Elementary has 455 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Bell Gardens, CA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary is 17.5:1, which is 19% lower than the California average of 21.5:1 and 11% higher 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 Elementary?
77.2% of students at Garfield Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the California average of 55.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garfield Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Garfield Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 97.8% of enrollment, in Bell Gardens, CA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield Elementary?
Garfield Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Elementary rank among elementary schools in Bell Gardens?
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elementary ranks #2 of 4 elementary schools in Bell Gardens, CA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Bell Gardens on the city page.
Is Garfield Elementary a good school?
Garfield Elementary earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of California schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most California 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 Montebello Unified?
Besides Garfield Elementary, Montebello Unified also operates Schurr High (2,121 students), Bell Gardens High (2,046 students), and Montebello High (1,907 students). See the Montebello Unified 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.