Buford Garner Elementary

Q: Is Buford Garner Elementary a good school?

Buford Garner Elementary ranks 343 rd of 557 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Buford Garner Elementary is a public elementary school in North Liberty, Iowa, serving 453 students in grades PK-6 as part of the Iowa City Community School District. The school's academic performance is generally on par with or slightly below the district and state averages, with some areas of strength and others needing improvement.

Buford Garner Elementary has a higher percentage of White students (62.25%) compared to the district (65.82%) and a higher percentage of African American (11.92%) and Hispanic (9.27%) students. The school's 3rd-grade English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rate (58.9%) is lower than the district (66%) and state (64.2%) averages, but its 4th-grade ELA proficiency rate (73.4%) is higher than the district (67.5%) and state (72.9%) averages. In mathematics, the school's 3rd-grade proficiency rate (71.4%) is slightly lower than the district (72.7%) but higher than the state (76.3%) average. The school's 5th-grade science proficiency rate (63.8%) is higher than the district (61.5%) and state (59.6%) averages.

Compared to nearby schools, Buford Garner Elementary's performance is generally on par with or slightly below other schools in the Iowa City Community School District, such as Central Elementary, Norman Borlaug Elementary, and Christine Grant Elementary. However, the school lags behind the high-performing Wickham Elementary and Penn Elementary, which are ranked among the top 10% of Iowa elementary schools. The nearby schools in the Clear Creek Amana Community School District, such as Oak Hill Elementary, Tiffin Elementary, and North Bend Elementary, also tend to outperform Buford Garner Elementary on academic measures.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-6

80 Birch Street
North Liberty, IA 52317

(319) 688-1190

District: Iowa City Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
343^rd of 557 Iowa Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,209

Students who attend Buford Garner Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	North Central Junior High School
High:	Liberty High School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.2

Number of students: 453

Racial breakdown:

White:

62.3%

Two or more races:

14.1%

African American:

11.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 40%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Buford Garner Elementary ranks worse than 61.6% of elementary schools in Iowa. It also ranks 8^th among 19 ranked elementary schools in the Iowa City Community School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 48.89. (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 Buford Garner Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Iowa City Community School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Buford Garner Elementary is $12,209. 17 elementary schools in the Iowa City Community School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Buford Garner Elementary was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

Iowa City Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Iowa City Community School District 221^st of 309 Iowa school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Buford Garner Elementary

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	IA State Percentile
2012	46.64	410^th	626	34.5%
2013	55.87	324^th	624	48.1%
2014	57.76	303^rd	603	49.8%
2015	63.37	257^th	616	58.3%
2016	59.26	289^th	599	51.8%
2017	58.74	281^st	574	51.0%
2018	67.54	189^th	567	66.7%
2019	65.79	207^th	603	65.7%
2021	55.95	278^th	567	51.0%
2022	50.71	327^th	574	43.0%
2023	48.90	333^rd	565	41.1%
2024	48.89	343^rd	557	38.4%

See the entire list of Iowa Elementary School Rankings!

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

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Buford Garner Elementary

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2011	297	35	14	37	1	0	9	393
2012	361	26	9	31	1	0	16	444
2013	389	26	9	45	4	0	27	500
2014	443	28	8	41	4	0	34	558
2015	460	26	10	38	3	1	37	575
2016	470	40	13	34	3	1	45	606
2017	470	41	15	39	2	1	47	615
2018	515	50	14	31	2	1	50	663
2019	515	52	21	45	0	3	51	687
2020	373	55	15	44	1	1	59	548
2021	337	51	18	40	0	2	53	501
2022	312	50	11	46	0	2	53	474
2023	282	54	8	42	0	3	64	453

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 Buford Garner Elementary

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	393	23.5	16.7	27.2
2012	444	24.4	18.1	21.2
2013	500	28.8	17.3	17.8
2014	558	30.0	18.6	20.3
2015	575	32.0	17.9	18.6
2016	606	34.0	17.8	19.8
2017	615	33.7	18.2	18.2
2018	663	38.9	17.0	18.1
2019	687	43.1	15.9	22.6
2020	548	31.9	17.1	34.5
2021	501	31.0	16.1	29.9
2022	474	32.6	14.4	34
2023	453	34.1	13.2	40

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 Buford Garner Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2011	393	23.5	16.7	27.2
2012	444	24.4	18.1	21.2
2013	500	28.8	17.3	17.8
2014	558	30.0	18.6	20.3
2015	575	32.0	17.9	18.6
2016	606	34.0	17.8	19.8
2017	615	33.7	18.2	18.2
2018	663	38.9	17.0	18.1
2019	687	43.1	15.9	22.6
2020	548	31.9	17.1	34.5
2021	501	31.0	16.1	29.9
2022	474	32.6	14.4	34
2023	453	34.1	13.2	40

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.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Buford Garner Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$291 (2.4%)	$11,917 (97.6%)	$12,209

Data source: Iowa Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Buford Garner Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 207^th of 603 Elementary schools	Ranks 333^rd of 565 Elementary schools	24.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Buford Garner Elementary)	66.9	59.2	7.7%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Iowa City Community School District)	64.5	63.9	0.6%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	65.3	66.3	1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Buford Garner Elementary)	77.1	76.1	1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Iowa City Community School District)	72	70.2	1.8%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	71.7	75.3	3.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Buford Garner Elementary)	75	78.2	3.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa City Community School District)	69.8	76	6.2%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	70.5	73.1	2.6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Buford Garner Elementary)	81	72.7	8.3%
4th Grade Mathematics (Iowa City Community School District)	69.5	72.4	2.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	72.5	72.9	0.4%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Buford Garner Elementary)	71.1	62.9	8.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa City Community School District)	65.9	65	0.9%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	67.3	68.3	1%
5th Grade Mathematics (Buford Garner Elementary)	74.2	64.3	9.9%
5th Grade Mathematics (Iowa City Community School District)	69.4	67.4	2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	69.4	71.3	1.9%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Buford Garner Elementary)	76.5	78.7	2.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa City Community School District)	72.6	77	4.4%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Iowa)	67.5	72.7	5.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Buford Garner Elementary)	87.7	77.1	10.6%
6th Grade Mathematics (Iowa City Community School District)	78.7	74.6	4.1%
6th Grade Mathematics (Iowa)	69.4	69.9	0.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	687	453	34.1%
African American	52	54	3.8%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	21	8	61.9%
Hispanic	45	42	6.7%
Pacific Islander	3	3
White	515	282	45.2%
Two or More Races	51	64	25.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	22.6%	40%	17.4%

Schools Near Buford Garner Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ISASP English Language Arts (2024)				ISASP Mathematics (2024)				ISASP Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ISASP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 4th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 5th Grade	ISASP English Language Arts 6th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 3rd Grade	ISASP Mathematics 4th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 5th Grade	ISASP Mathematics 6th Grade	ISASP Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Buford Garner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	80 Birch Street	North Liberty	52317	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1190	453	34	13.2	40.0%	282 (62.3%)	54 (11.9%)	42 (9.3%)	8 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	64 (14.1%)	48.9	343^rd of 557 public elementary schools	38.4%		48.9	333^rd of 565 public elementary schools	41.1%	10	58.9	73.4	69.0	79.7	71.4	68.8	67.2	71.0	63.8	$12,209	$291	$11,917
Penn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	230 N Dubuque St	North Liberty	52317	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1150	542	34	16.1	13.7%	416 (76.8%)	38 (7.0%)	50 (9.2%)	16 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.1%)	75.9	103^rd of 557 public elementary schools	81.5%		79.2	85^th of 565 public elementary schools	85.0%	18	76.8	77.5	83.1	80.8	85.5	87.3	85.7	85.9	66.2	$12,509	$453	$12,055
Christine Grant Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1000 North Bend Drive	North Liberty	52317	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1500	558	33	17.0	16.3%	436 (78.1%)	54 (9.7%)	21 (3.8%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (7.3%)	64.8	201^st of 557 public elementary schools	63.9%		60.7	239^th of 565 public elementary schools	57.7%	38	75.7	75.3	81.5	79.3	82.4	75.3	78.0	78.2	57.3
James Van Allen Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	170 Abigail Ave	North Liberty	52317	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1185	432	27	16.0	27.3%	274 (63.4%)	55 (12.7%)	53 (12.3%)	32 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)	47.2	349^th of 557 public elementary schools	37.3%		53.4	302^nd of 565 public elementary schools	46.5%	47	77.6	59.4	68.5	78.0	84.5	59.4	61.1	72.0	59.3	$12,084	$214	$11,870
North Bend Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	2230 St Andrews Drive	North Liberty	52317	Johnson County	Clear Creek Amana Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 626-3950	393	26	15.2	22.1%	269 (68.4%)	47 (12.0%)	28 (7.1%)	15 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (8.7%)								(n/a)	68.0				80.4					$26,848	$381	$26,466
Wickham Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	601 Oakdale Blvd	Coralville	52241	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	No	(319) 688-1175	383	23	16.7	12.8%	236 (61.6%)	24 (6.3%)	16 (4.2%)	77 (20.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (7.8%)	92.4	6^th of 557 public elementary schools	98.9%		90.6	9^th of 565 public elementary schools	98.4%	3	93.5	97.6	89.5	92.7	93.5	92.7	93.0	90.2	86.0	$12,974	$451	$12,524
Oak Hill Elementary	Public	4-5	504 N Park Road	Tiffin	52340	Johnson County	Clear Creek Amana Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 545-2248	345	25	14.0	26.7%	245 (71.0%)	30 (8.7%)	36 (10.4%)	7 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.8%)	58.8	264^th of 557 public elementary schools	52.6%		64.5	208^th of 565 public elementary schools	63.2%	56		83.5	69.5			76.8	71.4		60.9
Tiffin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	104 N. Park Rd	Tiffin	52340	Johnson County	Clear Creek Amana Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 545-2081	400	31	13.0	30.0%	270 (67.5%)	43 (10.8%)	47 (11.8%)	13 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.8%)								(n/a)	73.7				68.4					$27,228	$701	$26,527
Kirkwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1401 9th St	Coralville	52241	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1120	269	29	9.2	69.1%	77 (28.6%)	131 (48.7%)	39 (14.5%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.6%)	18.4	477^th of 557 public elementary schools	14.4%		7.6	531^st of 565 public elementary schools	6.0%	54	63.0	52.9	47.8	59.5	85.2	32.4	39.1	52.4	39.1	$15,376	$1,350	$14,026
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	501 6th St	Coralville	52241	Johnson County	Iowa City Community School District	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(319) 688-1100	485	39	12.3	53.2%	206 (42.5%)	147 (30.3%)	68 (14.0%)	29 (6.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (7.0%)	32.8	432^nd of 557 public elementary schools	22.4%		45.5	364^th of 565 public elementary schools	35.6%	68	60.0	69.8	55.2	64.1	63.1	71.7	63.8	65.6	55.2	$13,271	$714	$12,557

Frequently Asked Questions about Buford Garner Elementary

What district is Buford Garner Elementary in?

Iowa City Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Buford Garner Elementary?

Students at Buford Garner Elementary are 62% White, 14% Two or more races, 12% African American, 9% Hispanic, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Buford Garner Elementary attend?

Students who attend Buford Garner Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : North Central Junior High School
High : Liberty High School

How many students attend Buford Garner Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 453 students attended Buford Garner Elementary.

Is Buford Garner Elementary a good school?

Buford Garner Elementary ranks 343^rd of 557 Iowa elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Iowa Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.