Enrollment
314
Washington · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 530825001375
Garfield Elementary — Spokane, WA
Federal NCES profile for Garfield Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 53/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 58
📋 Attendance 36
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Spokane School District · Washington
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 17.8:1 Washington avg
-29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.5%
vs 45.0% Washington avg
+61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garfield Elementary compares with Washington and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Garfield Elementary reports 314 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 30.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 29% below the Washington state mean of 17.8:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 20% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 72.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 61% above the Washington average and 40% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 209 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Spokane School District spends $24,487 per pupil district-wide, above the Washington average of $23,175 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.2% from local sources (property taxes), 60.3% from the state, and 17.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Garfield Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Washington state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Washington | Washington avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 29% | 17.8:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.5% | ▲ 61% | 45.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 314 | top 38% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
72.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 61% above the Washington average of 45.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.7:1
students per teacher
— 29% below state mean
Top 12% in Washington — lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
25.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$24,487
per pupil, district-wide
— above Washington avg of $23,175
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 209 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 314 Top 38% in Washington — larger than 62% of 2,465 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 30.0
Students per teacher 12.7:1 -29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 72.5% +61% vs state
NCES ID 530825001375
Student demographics
White 57.6%
Two or More 15.3%
Hispanic or Latino 14.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 5.1%
African American 4.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 2.5%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 57.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 209:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.5%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Spokane School District, which includes Garfield Elementary.
$24,487
Per student
+6%
vs Washington
Avg $23,175
+26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.2%
State 60.3%
Federal 17.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,673
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,647
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,644
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,498
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,445
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar other schools in Spokane
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
North Central High School
Standard public school
1,647 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Spokane International Academy
Standard public school
824 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Hamblen Elementary
Standard public school
508 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Linwood Elementary
Standard public school
503 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
Hutton Elementary
Standard public school
492 students 16:1 students per teacher
Mullan Road Elementary
Standard public school
477 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Garfield Elementary
How many students attend Garfield Elementary?
Garfield Elementary has 314 students enrolled. It is a other school in Spokane, WA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary is 12.7:1, which is 29% lower than the Washington average of 17.8:1 and 20% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Garfield Elementary?
72.5% of students at Garfield Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Washington average of 45.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garfield Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Garfield Elementary is White at 57.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Spokane, WA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield Elementary?
Garfield Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.