Enrollment
176
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Parsons, KS
Garfield School
Federal NCES profile for Garfield School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 201056001998
👥 S:T ratio 56
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 5
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Garfield School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of Kansas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kansas schools.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Parsons · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11:1
- small classes for Kansas
- 74.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Garfield School has class sizes smaller than 80% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield School ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Parsons, KS.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
74.7%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+75% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Garfield School compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Garfield School
Garfield School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Parsons, Kansas, enrolling 176 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 74.7% of students qualify for free meals, 75% above the Kansas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 176 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 96% of the 1,346 Kansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 41 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #39, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (49%) and Two or More (22%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 352 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Parsons's elementary schools, it stands alongside Guthridge School (203 students): Garfield School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11:1 vs 13.5:1).
Parsons also operates Parsons Sr High (399 students) and Parsons Middle School (273 students) alongside Garfield 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 School compares
Garfield School on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11:1 | ▼ 20% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 74.7% | ▲ 75% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 176 | top 70% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11:1
Leaner classes than 83% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
176
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
74.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 75% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
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
11:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 20% in Kansas - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
38.1%
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
$13,829
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.1 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 48.9%
Two or More 21.6%
Hispanic or Latino 15.3%
African American 11.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 48.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.7, Garfield School is more mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Parsons, which includes Garfield School.
$13,829
Per student
-11%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 10.3%
State 80.6%
Federal 9.1%
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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parsons Sr High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parsons Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lincoln School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Guthridge School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Garfield School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 399
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 273
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 262
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 203
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary schools in Parsons
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kansas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~176 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Garfield School's federal record.
- Compare Garfield School against another school. Compare schools
- Parsons'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 School
How many students attend Garfield School?
Garfield School has 176 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Parsons, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Garfield School?
The student-teacher ratio at Garfield School is 11:1, which is 20% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 30% 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 School?
74.7% of students at Garfield School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Garfield School?
The largest demographic group at Garfield School is White at 48.9% of enrollment, in Parsons, KS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Garfield School?
Garfield School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 School rank among elementary schools in Parsons?
By Resource Investment Index, Garfield School ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Parsons, KS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Parsons on the city page.
Is Garfield School a good school?
Garfield School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of Kansas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Kansas 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 Parsons?
Besides Garfield School, Parsons also operates Parsons Sr High (399 students), Parsons Middle School (273 students), and Lincoln School (262 students). See the Parsons 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.