Enrollment
398
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 390440400999
William Foster Elementary School — Garfield Heights, OH
Federal NCES profile for William Foster Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 22/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Garfield Heights City Schools · Ohio
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16:1
vs 18.3:1 Ohio avg
-13% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How William Foster Elementary School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
William Foster Elementary School reports 398 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% below the Ohio state mean of 18.3:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 398 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 68.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Garfield Heights City Schools spends $16,105 per pupil district-wide, below the Ohio average of $16,867 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 40.8% from local sources (property taxes), 43.0% from the state, and 16.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How William Foster Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Ohio state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | ▼ 13% | 18.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 398 | top 52% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
16:1
students per teacher
— 13% below state mean
Top 35% in Ohio — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
68.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$16,105
per pupil, district-wide
— below Ohio avg of $16,867
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
Enrollment 398 Top 52% in Ohio — larger than 48% of 3,586 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 16:1 -13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 390440400999
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 398:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 68.6%
In-school suspensions 75
Out-of-school suspensions 134
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Garfield Heights City Schools, which includes William Foster Elementary School.
$16,105
Per student
-5%
vs Ohio
Avg $16,867
-17%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 942
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 374
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 326
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
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 other 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 16:1, which is 13% lower than the Ohio average of 18.3:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body 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 22/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.