Enrollment
398
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Garfield Heights, OH
William Foster Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for William Foster Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 25/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 390440400999
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
William Foster Elementary School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of Ohio schools.
- #5 of 8
- public schools in Garfield Heights · Resource Index
- 25
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Ohio
- 398
- students enrolled
William Foster Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 89% of Ohio schools. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, William Foster Elementary School ranks #5 of 8 public schools in Garfield Heights, OH.
School address
District: Garfield Heights City Schools · Ohio
NCES ID 390440400999 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How William Foster Elementary School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at William Foster Elementary School
William Foster Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Garfield Heights, Ohio, enrolling 398 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.4:1, William Foster Elementary School is leaner than roughly 89% of Ohio schools and 32% under the state's 18.2:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
With 398 students, its enrollment sits close to the Ohio median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,574 scored Ohio schools.
Its student body is led by African American (79%) and Two or More (13%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 398 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 68.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 16.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 209 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 398 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Garfield Heights City Schools also operates Garfield Heights High School (942 students) and Garfield Heights Middle School (541 students) alongside William Foster Elementary 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 William Foster Elementary School compares
William Foster Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.4:1 | ▼ 32% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 398 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
398
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 32% below state mean
Top 11% in Ohio - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
68.6%
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
$14,703
per pupil, district-wide
- above Ohio avg of $14,655
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 398 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
75
in-school suspensions + 134 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 52.5 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
African American 78.6%
Two or More 13.1%
White 6.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 78.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.1, William Foster Elementary School is about as mixed as the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garfield Heights City Schools, which includes William Foster Elementary School.
$14,703
Per student
+0%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.8%
State 43.0%
Federal 16.2%
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 William Foster Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield Heights High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Garfield Heights Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Elmwood Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Maple Leaf Elementary School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to William Foster Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 374
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 326
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~398 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on William Foster Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare William Foster Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Garfield Heights City Schools'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 William Foster Elementary School
How many students attend William Foster Elementary School?
William Foster Elementary School has 398 students enrolled. It is a public school in Garfield Heights, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at William Foster Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at William Foster Elementary School is 12.4:1, which is 32% lower than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of William Foster Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at William Foster Elementary School is African American at 78.6% of enrollment, in Garfield Heights, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for William Foster Elementary School?
William Foster Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (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 William Foster Elementary School rank among public schools in Garfield Heights?
By Resource Investment Index, William Foster Elementary School ranks #5 of 8 public schools in Garfield Heights, OH. 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 Heights on the city page.
Is William Foster Elementary School a good school?
William Foster Elementary School earns 25/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 89% of Ohio 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 Garfield Heights City Schools?
Besides William Foster Elementary School, Garfield Heights City Schools also operates Garfield Heights High School (942 students), Garfield Heights Middle School (541 students), and Elmwood Elementary School (374 students). See the Garfield Heights City Schools 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.