Enrollment
117
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Garden City, KS
Plymell Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Plymell Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 200639001181
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Plymell Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Kansas schools.
- #5 of 13
- elementary schools in Garden City · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.7:1
- small classes for Kansas
- 27.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Plymell Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Plymell Elementary ranks #5 of 13 elementary schools in Garden City, KS.
School address
District: Garden City · Kansas
NCES ID 200639001181 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.7%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Plymell Elementary compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Plymell Elementary
Plymell Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Garden City, Kansas, enrolling 117 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 27.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 117 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Against 128 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #80.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (44%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 234 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Garden City's elementary schools, it stands alongside Kenneth Henderson Middle (425 students): Plymell Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.7:1 vs 14.7:1).
Garden City also operates Garden City High School (1,946 students) and Jennie Wilson Elem (796 students) alongside Plymell Elementary.
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 Plymell Elementary compares
Plymell Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.7:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.7% | ▼ 35% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 117 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
117
Bigger than 12% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% below the Kansas average of 42.7%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 26% in Kansas - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.6%
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
$12,807
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kansas avg of $15,487
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.8 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 54.7%
Hispanic or Latino 44.4%
Two or More 0.9%
Largest group: White at 54.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.4, Plymell Elementary is more mixed than the Kansas school average of 39.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garden City, which includes Plymell Elementary.
$12,807
Per student
-17%
vs Kansas
Avg $15,487
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 22.3%
State 68.1%
Federal 9.6%
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 Plymell Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jennie Wilson Elem | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horace J. Good Middle School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenneth Henderson Middle | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Charles O Stones Intermediate Ctr | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Plymell Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,946
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 796
- Students per teacher
- 56.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 425
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 377
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar elementary schools in Garden City
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Kenneth Henderson Middle
Standard public school
425 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Charles O Stones Intermediate Ctr
Standard public school
377 students 13:1 students per teacher
Florence Wilson Elem
Standard public school
376 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Bernadine Sitts Intermediate Ctr
Standard public school
367 students 11.1:1 students per teacher
Victor Ornelas Elem
Standard public school
351 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Alta Brown Elem
Standard public school
336 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
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 (~117 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Plymell Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Plymell Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Garden City'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 Plymell Elementary
How many students attend Plymell Elementary?
Plymell Elementary has 117 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Garden City, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Plymell Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Plymell Elementary is 11.7:1, which is 15% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 25% 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 Plymell Elementary?
27.7% of students at Plymell Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Plymell Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Plymell Elementary is White at 54.7% of enrollment, in Garden City, KS. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Plymell Elementary?
Plymell Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Plymell Elementary rank among elementary schools in Garden City?
By Resource Investment Index, Plymell Elementary ranks #5 of 13 elementary schools in Garden City, 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 Garden City on the city page.
Is Plymell Elementary a good school?
Plymell Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of 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 Garden City?
Besides Plymell Elementary, Garden City also operates Garden City High School (1,946 students), Jennie Wilson Elem (796 students), and Horace J. Good Middle School (583 students). See the Garden City 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.