Is Garfield Elementary a good school?

Garfield Elementary ranks in the bottom 21.5% of California elementary schools.

How many students attend Garfield Elementary?

In the 2023-24 school year, 462 students attended Garfield Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Garfield Elementary?

Students at Garfield Elementary are 98% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Garfield Elementary attend?

Students who attend Garfield Elementary usually go on to attend: High : Century High

Garfield Elementary

Summary:

Garfield Elementary is a public elementary school in Santa Ana, California, serving 509 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Santa Ana Unified School District, which is ranked 1241 out of 1568 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Garfield Elementary has consistently been ranked in the bottom 20-25% of California elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 4599 out of 5862 schools. The school has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, and its academic performance, as measured by Smarter Balanced Assessments, is significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 29.32% of Garfield Elementary students were proficient or better in English Language Arts/Literacy, compared to 30.96% for the district and 47.04% for the state. In Mathematics, the proficiency rate at Garfield Elementary was 23.41%, compared to 21.03% for the district and 35.54% for the state.

While the challenges faced by Garfield Elementary are not unique within the Santa Ana Unified School District, the data suggests that alternative educational models, such as Orange County Educational Arts Academy and El Sol Santa Ana Science and Arts Academy, may be providing better outcomes for students in the region. Additionally, the high rates of free and reduced-price lunch eligibility at Garfield Elementary and the surrounding schools suggest that these schools serve a predominantly low-income student population, which likely plays a significant role in the academic challenges faced by these schools.

Detail:

Public K-5

850 East Brown St.
Santa Ana, CA 92701-3902

(714) 972-5300

District: Santa Ana Unified

SchoolDigger Rank:
4599^th of 5,862 California Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,196

Students who attend Garfield Elementary usually attend:

High:

Century High

Student/teacher ratio: 21.8

Number of students: 462

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

97.8%

Asian:

1.1%

White:

0.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 84.2%

See top rated California elementary schools

Compare Garfield Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Garfield Elementary ranks worse than 78.5% of elementary schools in California. It also ranks 20^th among 34 ranked elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 22.69. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (97.8%), Asian (1.1%), American Indian (0.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 84.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary is 21.8. 23 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Garfield Elementary employs 21.1 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Garfield Elementary is $7,196. 24 elementary schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Garfield Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Garfield Elementary 4599^th of 5862 California public elementary schools. (See Garfield Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

Santa Ana Unified:

SchoolDigger ranks Santa Ana Unified 1241^st of 1568 California school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Garfield Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2004	9.09	4717^th	4809	1.9%
2005	8.97	4698^th	4822	2.6%
2006	8.70	4684^th	4818	2.8%
2007	9.07	4964^th	5113	2.9%
2008	11.80	4829^th	5113	5.6%
2009	12.75	4864^th	5193	6.3%
2010	13.49	4982^nd	5314	6.2%
2011	16.75	4868^th	5377	9.5%
2012	19.85	4653^rd	5390	13.7%
2013	14.38	5084^th	5530	8.1%
2015	12.54	5315^th	5611	5.3%
2016	16.63	4897^th	5614	12.8%
2017	23.25	4406^th	5692	22.6%
2018	24.21	4304^th	5662	24.0%
2019	26.63	4224^th	5789	27.0%
2022	14.30	5422^nd	5883	7.8%
2023	16.89	5165^th	5874	12.1%
2024	22.69	4599^th	5862	21.5%

See the entire list of California Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	31.83	2261^st	3246	30.3%
2019	24.85	2879^th	3275	12.1%
2022	30.48	2564^th	3311	22.6%
2023	35.86	2093^rd	3250	35.6%
2024	31.87	2422^nd	3160	23.4%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	16.31	2388^th	2420	1.3%
2024	28.78	1900^th	2634	27.9%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	37.79	3178^th	5084	37.5%
2019	39.13	3186^th	5173	38.4%
2022	20.18	4641^st	5264	11.8%
2023	21.67	4574^th	5374	14.9%
2024	29.23	4020^th	5511	27.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	22.99	4316^th	5413	20.3%
2019	29.74	3847^th	5492	30.0%
2022	15.92	5103^rd	5635	9.4%
2023	21.94	4537^th	5617	19.2%
2024	28.84	3894^th	5605	30.5%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	30.13	1430^th	2128	32.8%
2019	37.33	1414^th	2585	45.3%
2022	29.57	1513^th	2227	32.1%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	26.60	3974^th	5431	26.8%
2019	24.21	4263^rd	5510	22.6%
2022	15.17	5197^th	5663	8.2%
2023	13.37	5286^th	5650	6.4%
2024	18.41	4860^th	5636	13.8%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Garfield Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	CA State Percentile
2018	33.55	3302^nd	4830	31.6%
2019	37.29	3146^th	4963	36.6%
2022	18.95	4583^rd	5084	9.9%
2023	21.30	4394^th	5098	13.8%
2024	29.64	3763^rd	5102	26.2%

See the entire list of Best California Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: California Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: California Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Garfield Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1990	2	3	1	332	0	n/a	n/a	0	338
1991	1	0	2	401	0	n/a	n/a	0	404
1992	2	5	3	631	0	n/a	n/a	0	641
1993	12	1	3	690	0	n/a	n/a	0	706
1994	3	1	8	725	0	n/a	n/a	0	737
1995	2	4	1	797	0	n/a	n/a	0	804
1996	2	4	1	797	0	n/a	n/a	0	804
1997	3	3	1	950	0	n/a	n/a	0	957
1998	6	1	0	961	0	n/a	n/a	0	968
1999	5	3	0	1041	0	n/a	n/a	1	1050
2000	7	0	0	1099	0	n/a	n/a	0	1106
2001	5	2	0	1119	0	n/a	n/a	1	1127
2002	2	0	2	997	1	n/a	n/a	0	1002
2003	2	0	2	997	1	n/a	n/a	0	1002
2004	1	1	0	918	0	n/a	n/a	20	940
2005	2	0	0	812	1	n/a	n/a	11	826
2006	0	0	0	732	0	n/a	n/a	0	732
2007	0	1	0	676	0	n/a	n/a	2	679
2008	n/a	1	n/a	676	n/a	n/a	n/a	0	677
2009	0	0	0	708	0	0	0	0	708
2010	3	3	0	679	0	0	0	0	685
2011	5	0	0	691	0	0	0	0	696
2012	4	2	3	677	0	0	0	0	686
2013	3	1	2	698	1	0	2	0	707
2014	3	1	1	737	2	0	3	0	747
2015	3	1	0	730	3	0	1	0	738
2016	3	5	0	761	2	0	1	0	772
2017	3	2	0	837	2	3	0	0	847
2018	4	0	2	762	2	0	0	0	770
2019	3	0	4	715	1	0	0	0	723
2020	2	0	5	651	5	0	1	0	664
2021	2	0	5	623	3	0	0	0	633
2022	1	0	5	559	2	0	0	0	567
2023	4	0	2	499	1	1	2	0	509
2024	1	1	5	452	1	1	1	0	462

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Garfield Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	338	12.0	28.1	n/a
1991	404	14.6	27.6	n/a
1992	641	14.8	43.3	85.6
1993	706	23.0	30.7	87.3
1994	737	23.4	31.5	88.1
1995	804	28.0	28.7	88.4
1996	804	28.0	28.7	88.4
1997	957	35.0	27.3	88.7
1998	968	42.7	22.7	89.6
1999	1050	44.4	23.6	91.9
2000	1106	50.0	22.1	83.7
2001	1127	49.0	23.0	91.3
2002	1002	50.0	20.0	91.6
2003	1002	50.0	20.0	91.6
2004	940	45.0	20.9	89.9
2005	826	37.0	22.3	94.7
2006	732	35.0	20.9	90.7
2007	679	32.0	21.2	88.6
2008	677	35.0	19.3	93.2
2009	708	34.0	20.2	92.9
2010	685	31.0	22.1	95.8
2011	696	n/a	n/a	95
2012	686	28.0	24.5	n/a
2013	707	23.0	30.7	90.5
2014	747	27.0	27.6	97.5
2015	738	28.0	26.3	91.2
2016	772	26.0	29.6	94.3
2017	847	29.0	29.2	92
2018	770	27.0	28.5	88.8
2019	723	26.0	27.8	88.2
2020	664	n/a	n/a	88.3
2021	633	24.0	26.3	88.6
2022	567	29.0	19.5	62.6
2023	509	26.0	19.5	81.3
2024	462	21.1	21.8	84.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Garfield Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1990	338	12.0	28.1	n/a
1991	404	14.6	27.6	n/a
1992	641	14.8	43.3	85.6
1993	706	23.0	30.7	87.3
1994	737	23.4	31.5	88.1
1995	804	28.0	28.7	88.4
1996	804	28.0	28.7	88.4
1997	957	35.0	27.3	88.7
1998	968	42.7	22.7	89.6
1999	1050	44.4	23.6	91.9
2000	1106	50.0	22.1	83.7
2001	1127	49.0	23.0	91.3
2002	1002	50.0	20.0	91.6
2003	1002	50.0	20.0	91.6
2004	940	45.0	20.9	89.9
2005	826	37.0	22.3	94.7
2006	732	35.0	20.9	90.7
2007	679	32.0	21.2	88.6
2008	677	35.0	19.3	93.2
2009	708	34.0	20.2	92.9
2010	685	31.0	22.1	95.8
2011	696	n/a	n/a	95
2012	686	28.0	24.5	n/a
2013	707	23.0	30.7	90.5
2014	747	27.0	27.6	97.5
2015	738	28.0	26.3	91.2
2016	772	26.0	29.6	94.3
2017	847	29.0	29.2	92
2018	770	27.0	28.5	88.8
2019	723	26.0	27.8	88.2
2020	664	n/a	n/a	88.3
2021	633	24.0	26.3	88.6
2022	567	29.0	19.5	62.6
2023	509	26.0	19.5	81.3
2024	462	21.1	21.8	84.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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