Enrollment
214
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cedar Rapids, IA
Garfield Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Garfield Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 190654000240
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garfield Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Iowa schools.
- #4 of 13
- elementary schools in Cedar Rapids · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Iowa
- 69.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Garfield Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 70% of Iowa schools. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elementary School ranks #4 of 13 elementary schools in Cedar Rapids, IA.
School address
District: Cedar Rapids Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190654000240 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
69.2%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+90% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garfield Elementary School compares with Iowa and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garfield Elementary School
Garfield Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, enrolling 214 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 69.2% of students qualify for free meals, 90% above the Iowa average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 214 puts it in the smaller third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Against 52 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #28.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 214 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Cedar Rapids's elementary schools, it stands alongside Prairie Creek (846 students): Garfield Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 15.7:1).
Cedar Rapids Comm School District also operates John F Kennedy High School (1,648 students) and Thomas Jefferson High School (1,501 students) alongside Garfield Elementary 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 Garfield Elementary School compares
Garfield Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Iowa and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Iowa | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 15% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 69.2% | ▲ 90% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 214 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
214
Bigger than 21% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
69.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 90% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 30% in Iowa - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
47.2%
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
$13,962
per pupil, district-wide
- above Iowa avg of $12,854
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 214 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.9 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cedar Rapids Comm School District, which includes Garfield Elementary School.
$13,962
Per student
+9%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 48.5%
Federal 13.9%
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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F Kennedy High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| George Washington High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harding Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Taft Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garfield Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,648
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,501
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 1,182
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 710
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 593
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar elementary schools in Cedar Rapids
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Prairie Creek
Standard public school
846 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Van Buren Elementary School
Standard public school
429 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Hoover Elementary School
Standard public school
420 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Pierce Elementary School
Standard public school
334 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Johnson Steam Academy School
Standard public school
324 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Grant Elementary School
Standard public school
312 students 13:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Iowa, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~214 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garfield Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Garfield Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Cedar Rapids Comm 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 School
How many students attend Garfield Elementary School?
Garfield Elementary School has 214 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cedar Rapids, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary School is 12.6:1, which is 15% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 20% 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 School?
69.2% of students at Garfield Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield Elementary School?
Garfield Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 School rank among elementary schools in Cedar Rapids?
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elementary School ranks #4 of 13 elementary schools in Cedar Rapids, IA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Cedar Rapids on the city page.
Is Garfield Elementary School a good school?
Garfield Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of Iowa 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 Cedar Rapids Comm School District?
Besides Garfield Elementary School, Cedar Rapids Comm School District also operates John F Kennedy High School (1,648 students), Thomas Jefferson High School (1,501 students), and George Washington High School (1,182 students). See the Cedar Rapids Comm 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.