Enrollment
351
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Garden City, KS
Victor Ornelas Elem
Federal NCES profile for Victor Ornelas Elem, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 200639001653
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Victor Ornelas Elem earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% of Kansas schools.
- #2 of 13
- elementary schools in Garden City · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Kansas
- 70.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Victor Ornelas Elem has class sizes smaller than 77% of Kansas schools. Computed live against every Kansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Victor Ornelas Elem ranks #2 of 13 elementary schools in Garden City, KS.
School address
District: Garden City · Kansas
NCES ID 200639001653 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 13.8:1 Kansas avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
70.8%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Victor Ornelas Elem compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Victor Ornelas Elem
Victor Ornelas Elem is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Garden City, Kansas, enrolling 351 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Kansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 70.8% of students qualify for free meals, 66% above the Kansas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 351 students, its enrollment sits close to the Kansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,346 scored Kansas schools.
Among 139 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Kansas schools statewide, it ranks #10, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 351 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
17.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Garden City's elementary schools, it stands alongside Kenneth Henderson Middle (425 students): Victor Ornelas Elem is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.3:1 vs 14.7:1).
Garden City also operates Garden City High School (1,946 students) and Jennie Wilson Elem (796 students) alongside Victor Ornelas Elem.
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 Victor Ornelas Elem compares
Victor Ornelas Elem on the metrics families compare, against Kansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.3:1 | ▼ 18% | 13.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 70.8% | ▲ 66% | 42.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 351 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
351
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
70.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% 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
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 23% in Kansas - lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
17.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 351 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 86.0%
Asian 8.0%
White 5.7%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 86.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.1, Victor Ornelas Elem is less 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 Victor Ornelas Elem.
$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 Victor Ornelas Elem Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden City High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Jennie Wilson Elem | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Horace J. Good Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenneth Henderson Middle | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Charles O Stones Intermediate Ctr | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Victor Ornelas Elem'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
Alta Brown Elem
Standard public school
336 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Abe Hubert Elementary School
Standard public school
285 students 10.6:1 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 (~351 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Victor Ornelas Elem's federal record.
- Compare Victor Ornelas Elem 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 Victor Ornelas Elem
How many students attend Victor Ornelas Elem?
Victor Ornelas Elem has 351 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Garden City, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Victor Ornelas Elem?
The student-teacher ratio at Victor Ornelas Elem is 11.3:1, which is 18% lower than the Kansas average of 13.8:1 and 28% 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 Victor Ornelas Elem?
70.8% of students at Victor Ornelas Elem are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Victor Ornelas Elem?
The largest demographic group at Victor Ornelas Elem is Hispanic or Latino at 86.0% of enrollment, in Garden City, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Victor Ornelas Elem?
Victor Ornelas Elem has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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 Victor Ornelas Elem rank among elementary schools in Garden City?
By Resource Investment Index, Victor Ornelas Elem ranks #2 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 Victor Ornelas Elem a good school?
Victor Ornelas Elem earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 77% 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 Victor Ornelas Elem, 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.