Enrollment
573
Iowa · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Clarinda, IA
Garfield Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Garfield Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 190735000342
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 63
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garfield Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa median.
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.7:1
- students per teacher
- 38.6%
- free-lunch eligible
- 573
- students enrolled
Garfield Elementary School has class sizes near the Iowa median. Computed live against every Iowa school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Clarinda Comm School District · Iowa
NCES ID 190735000342 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.7:1
vs 14.8:1 Iowa avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.6%
vs 36.4% Iowa avg
+6% 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 large combined-grade school in Clarinda, Iowa, enrolling 573 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 38.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 573 puts it in the larger third of Iowa schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,322 scored Iowa schools.
Among 262 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Iowa schools statewide, it ranks #28, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 326 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
15.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Clarinda's public schools, it stands alongside Clarinda High School (511 students): Garfield Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.7:1 vs 15:1).
Its district, Clarinda Comm School District, also runs Clarinda High School (511 students).
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 | 14.7:1 | ▼ 1% | 14.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.6% | ▲ 6% | 36.4% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 573 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.7:1
Leaner classes than 50% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
573
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% above the Iowa average of 36.4%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 61% in Iowa - lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,079
per pupil, district-wide
- below Iowa avg of $12,854
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 326 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.0 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 90.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.5%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 0.5%
African American 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 90.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.6, Garfield Elementary School is less mixed than the Iowa school average of 33.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Clarinda Comm School District, which includes Garfield Elementary School.
$11,079
Per student
-14%
vs Iowa
Avg $12,854
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 36.6%
State 49.9%
Federal 13.6%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarinda High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar 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
- 511
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar other schools in Clarinda
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other 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 (~573 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garfield Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Garfield Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Clarinda 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 573 students enrolled. It is a public school in Clarinda, IA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary School is 14.7:1, which is 1% lower than the Iowa average of 14.8:1 and 6% 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?
38.6% of students at Garfield Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Iowa average of 36.4%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garfield Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Garfield Elementary School is White at 90.6% of enrollment, in Clarinda, IA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield Elementary School?
Garfield Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher 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).
Is Garfield Elementary School a good school?
Garfield Elementary School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Iowa 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 Clarinda Comm School District?
Besides Garfield Elementary School, Clarinda Comm School District also operates Clarinda High School (511 students). See the Clarinda 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.