Enrollment
428
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Kearny, NJ
Garfield Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Garfield Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 340789002870
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garfield Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of New Jersey schools.
- #3 of 5
- schools in Kearny · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.2:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 53.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Garfield Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 70% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 schools in Kearny, NJ.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.3%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+80% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garfield Elementary School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garfield Elementary School
Garfield Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Kearny, New Jersey, enrolling 428 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 53.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 428 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 281 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #102.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (72%) and White (21%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 428 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Kearny also operates Kearny High School (1,825 students) and `Franklin Elementary School (950 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 New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.2:1 | ▼ 14% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.3% | ▲ 80% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 428 | top 50% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
428
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 80% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 30% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$23,937
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 428 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 72.0%
White 20.8%
Asian 4.0%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 1.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 72.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.6, Garfield Elementary School is less mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Kearny, which includes Garfield Elementary School.
$23,937
Per student
-4%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+44%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.4%
State 54.5%
Federal 6.2%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kearny High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| `Franklin Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Schuyler Elementary School | Similar size | Lower 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
- 1,825
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 950
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 763
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~428 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garfield Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Garfield Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Kearny'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 428 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kearny, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary School is 10.2:1, which is 14% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 35% 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?
53.3% of students at Garfield Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garfield Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Garfield Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 72.0% of enrollment, in Kearny, NJ.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield Elementary School?
Garfield Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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).
How does Garfield Elementary School rank among schools in Kearny?
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Elementary School ranks #3 of 5 schools in Kearny, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Kearny on the city page.
Is Garfield Elementary School a good school?
Garfield Elementary School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of New Jersey 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 Kearny?
Besides Garfield Elementary School, Kearny also operates Kearny High School (1,825 students), `Franklin Elementary School (950 students), and Lincoln Middle School (763 students). See the Kearny 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.