Enrollment
250
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Brainerd, MN
Garfield Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Garfield Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 270609000252
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garfield Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Minnesota schools.
- #3 of 5
- elementary schools in Brainerd · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.6:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 54.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Garfield Elementary has class sizes smaller than 83% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elementary ranks #3 of 5 elementary schools in Brainerd, MN.
School address
District: Brainerd Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270609000252 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.6:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.4%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garfield Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garfield Elementary
Garfield Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Brainerd, Minnesota, enrolling 250 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 54.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 250 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 165 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #105.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 33/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Brainerd Public School District also operates Brainerd Senior High (1,805 students) and Forestview Middle (1,626 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 Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.6:1 | ▼ 39% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.4% | ▲ 27% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 250 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.6:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
250
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 27% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
9.6:1
students per teacher
- 39% below state mean
Top 17% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.6%
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
$14,387
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 81.2%
Two or More 10.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 81.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 32.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 32.7, Garfield Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Brainerd Public School District, which includes Garfield Elementary.
$14,387
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 59.2%
Federal 11.8%
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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brainerd Senior High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forestview Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Baxter Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverside Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lowell Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher 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
- 1,805
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 12/100
- Enrollment
- 1,626
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 407
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 355
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~250 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garfield Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Garfield Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Brainerd Public School District'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 250 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Brainerd, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary is 9.6:1, which is 39% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 39% 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 Elementary?
54.4% of students at Garfield Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garfield Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Garfield Elementary is White at 81.2% of enrollment, in Brainerd, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield Elementary?
Garfield Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Garfield Elementary rank among elementary schools in Brainerd?
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elementary ranks #3 of 5 elementary schools in Brainerd, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Brainerd on the city page.
Is Garfield Elementary a good school?
Garfield Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Minnesota 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 Brainerd Public School District?
Besides Garfield Elementary, Brainerd Public School District also operates Brainerd Senior High (1,805 students), Forestview Middle (1,626 students), and Baxter Elementary (506 students). See the Brainerd Public School District 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.