Enrollment
971
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Garfield, NJ
Garfield Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Garfield Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 340576000470
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garfield Middle School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #6 of 11
- public schools in Garfield · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10.7:1
- students per teacher
- 36.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Garfield Middle School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Middle School ranks #6 of 11 public schools in Garfield, NJ.
School address
District: Garfield Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340576000470 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
91.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.3%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garfield Middle School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garfield Middle School
Garfield Middle School is a large middle school in Garfield, New Jersey, enrolling 971 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.7:1 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 36.3% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New Jersey, bigger than 90% of state schools at 971 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 205 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #107.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (56%) and White (33%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 324 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Garfield Public School District also operates Garfield High School (1,258 students) and Washington Irving School #4 (441 students) alongside Garfield Middle 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 Middle School compares
Garfield Middle 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 | 10.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.3% | ▲ 23% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 971 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
971
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
36.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.7:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 40% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.6%
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
$26,779
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 324 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 88 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.2 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 56.3%
White 33.1%
African American 9.1%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 56.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.5, Garfield Middle School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garfield Public School District, which includes Garfield Middle School.
$26,779
Per student
+7%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+61%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.2%
State 68.9%
Federal 8.0%
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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Washington Irving School #4 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Abraham Lincoln School #6 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Thomas Jefferson School #9 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Christopher Columbus School #8 | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garfield Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,258
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 441
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 385
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 366
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar middle 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 (~971 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garfield Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Garfield Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Garfield 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 Middle School
How many students attend Garfield Middle School?
Garfield Middle School has 971 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Garfield, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield Middle School is 10.7:1, which is 9% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 32% 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 Middle School?
36.3% of students at Garfield Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garfield Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Garfield Middle School is Hispanic or Latino at 56.3% of enrollment, in Garfield, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield Middle School?
Garfield Middle 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 Middle School rank among public schools in Garfield?
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield Middle School ranks #6 of 11 public schools in Garfield, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Garfield on the city page.
Is Garfield Middle School a good school?
Garfield Middle School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey 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 Garfield Public School District?
Besides Garfield Middle School, Garfield Public School District also operates Garfield High School (1,258 students), Washington Irving School #4 (441 students), and Abraham Lincoln School #6 (385 students). See the Garfield 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.