Is Garfield Elementary School a good school?

Garfield Elementary School ranks 832 nd of 1168 Washington elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Garfield Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 351 students attended Garfield Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Garfield Elementary School?

Students at Garfield Elementary School are 54% White, 18% Hispanic, 15% Two or more races, 7% Asian, 4% African American, 1% American Indian, 1% Pacific Islander.

What schools do graduates of Garfield Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Garfield Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Jefferson Middle School High : Capital High School

Garfield Elementary School

Summary:

Garfield Elementary School is a public elementary school in Olympia, Washington, serving 351 students from pre-kindergarten to 5th grade. While the school is part of the Olympia School District, which is ranked 45 out of 247 districts in the state, Garfield Elementary faces several unique challenges.

Garfield Elementary has a more diverse student population compared to nearby schools, with a decreasing percentage of white students and increasing percentages of Hispanic and multiracial students. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by state assessments, is generally lower than the district and state averages. Only 41.1% of Garfield students were proficient or better in English Language Arts in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to 62.31% for the Olympia School District and 52.63% for the state. Additionally, Garfield has a high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 64.96% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, significantly higher than the nearby McKenny Elementary, McLane Elementary School, and Pioneer Elementary School.

Despite increased spending per student, from $12,202 in 2019-2020 to $20,885 in 2021-2022, Garfield Elementary's academic performance has declined over the past few years, with the school's statewide ranking dropping from 266 out of 1,053 elementary schools in 2015-2016 to 832 out of 1,168 in 2023-2024. The school's performance also varies significantly among different student subgroups, with male students and white students performing significantly lower than female students and Hispanic students. These challenges suggest the need for targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes at Garfield Elementary.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

325 Plymouth St NW
Olympia, WA 98502-4986

(360) 596-6900

District: Olympia School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
832^nd of 1,168 Washington Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $20,885

Students who attend Garfield Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Jefferson Middle School
High:	Capital High School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.4

Number of students: 351

Racial breakdown:

White:

53.8%

Hispanic:

17.9%

Two or more races:

14.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 65%

See top rated Washington elementary schools

Compare Garfield Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Garfield Elementary School ranks worse than 71.2% of elementary schools in Washington. It also ranks last among 11 ranked elementary schools in the Olympia School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 29.29. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Garfield Elementary School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (53.8%), Hispanic (17.9%), two or more races (14.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 65% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Olympia School District. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Garfield Elementary School is 14.4, which is the 5^th best among 11 elementary schools in the Olympia School District. (See more...)

Compare Garfield Elementary School employs 24.3 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Garfield Elementary School is $20,885, which is the highest among 11 elementary schools in the Olympia School District!

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Garfield Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Garfield Elementary School 832^nd of 1168 Washington public elementary schools. (See Garfield Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Olympia School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Olympia School District 45^th of 247 Washington school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Garfield Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Garfield Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2004	54.36	470^th	1026	54.2%
2005	67.81	307^th	1031	70.2%
2006	65.01	341^st	1051	67.6%
2007	61.85	407^th	1069	61.9%
2008	69.95	290^th	1067	72.8%
2009	54.25	497^th	1072	53.6%
2010	55.76	470^th	1088	56.8%
2011	79.44	161^st	1092	85.3%
2012	73.91	245^th	1097	77.7%
2013	79.98	170^th	1106	84.6%
2015	83.38	147^th	1067	86.2%
2016	73.84	266^th	1053	74.7%
2017	65.17	377^th	1056	64.3%
2018	64.26	380^th	1054	63.9%
2019	35.44	754^th	1130	33.3%
2021	49.11	522^nd	1107	52.8%
2022	48.73	581^st	1169	50.3%
2023	34.41	770^th	1169	34.1%
2024	29.29	832^nd	1168	28.8%

See the entire list of Washington Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Garfield Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	42.40	129^th	212	39.2%
2019	39.90	203^rd	303	33.0%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Garfield Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	76.09	95^th	637	85.1%
2019	32.91	377^th	566	33.4%
2021	57.33	62^nd	158	60.8%
2022	56.34	153^rd	478	68.0%
2023	30.92	233^rd	308	24.4%

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

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Garfield Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	64.21	252^nd	835	69.8%
2019	38.64	647^th	979	33.9%
2021	61.99	241^st	854	71.8%
2022	50.06	474^th	1019	53.5%
2023	35.45	693^rd	1013	31.6%
2024	28.04	786^th	1024	23.2%

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

Rank History for Female students at Garfield Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	48.29	543^rd	1004	45.9%
2019	29.29	814^th	1068	23.8%
2021	33.46	649^th	1008	35.6%
2022	34.32	730^th	1100	33.6%
2023	35.56	705^th	1094	35.6%
2024	33.10	748^th	1093	31.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Garfield Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	78.83	210^th	999	79.0%
2019	41.91	646^th	1075	39.9%
2021	65.90	320^th	1025	68.8%
2022	63.29	376^th	1113	66.2%
2023	30.21	782^nd	1099	28.8%
2024	21.97	900^th	1099	18.1%

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

Rank History for Asian students at Garfield Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2019	29.06	158^th	201	21.4%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Garfield Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2019	36.97	462^nd	697	33.7%
2022	74.17	103^rd	694	85.2%
2023	59.25	229^th	633	63.8%

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

Rank History for White students at Garfield Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WA State Percentile
2018	63.44	303^rd	833	63.6%
2019	50.92	526^th	1027	48.8%
2021	49.72	466^th	943	50.6%
2022	43.39	584^th	1031	43.4%
2023	30.32	751^st	1011	25.7%
2024	26.82	782^nd	1009	22.5%

See the entire list of Best Washington Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Washington Office of Superindentent of Public Instruction, 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: Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

Reviews:
No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Garfield Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	396	16	71	12	8	n/a	n/a	0	503
1989	402	12	74	17	8	n/a	n/a	0	513
1990	375	10	69	16	10	n/a	n/a	0	480
1991	409	11	85	11	10	n/a	n/a	0	526
1992	424	6	104	16	9	n/a	n/a	0	559
1993	433	14	105	18	2	n/a	n/a	0	572
1994	430	13	100	18	4	n/a	n/a	0	565
1995	337	12	88	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	444
1996	337	12	88	7	0	n/a	n/a	0	444
1997	314	11	96	12	3	n/a	n/a	0	436
1998	321	10	102	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	439
1999	291	6	97	16	1	n/a	n/a	0	411
2000	323	11	99	19	2	n/a	n/a	0	454
2001	324	17	86	18	3	n/a	n/a	0	448
2002	301	27	71	28	2	n/a	n/a	0	429
2003	301	27	71	28	2	n/a	n/a	0	429
2004	327	34	81	32	10	n/a	n/a	0	484
2005	319	33	80	30	13	n/a	n/a	3	478
2006	293	14	72	18	11	n/a	n/a	55	463
2007	259	12	59	17	6	n/a	n/a	58	411
2008	231	11	55	20	8	n/a	n/a	71	396
2009	230	13	46	33	4	n/a	n/a	80	406
2010	231	13	52	25	7	n/a	n/a	51	379
2011	238	13	39	34	3	4	32	0	363
2012	181	9	41	68	2	1	53	0	355
2013	186	8	42	64	2	0	50	0	352
2014	176	9	31	67	3	0	44	0	330
2015	167	7	31	62	2	0	51	0	320
2016	228	13	34	69	2	0	54	0	400
2017	215	20	36	84	4	1	57	0	417
2018	196	21	39	71	3	1	52	0	383
2019	187	18	53	79	4	2	62	0	405
2020	190	15	49	89	6	1	60	0	410
2021	162	12	37	72	1	1	61	0	346
2022	169	11	26	59	3	2	48	1	319
2023	189	13	24	63	5	4	51	2	351

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 School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	503	23.0	21.8	0
1989	513	24.0	21.3	n/a
1990	480	23.3	20.6	0
1991	526	27.3	19.2	n/a
1992	559	27.3	20.4	n/a
1993	572	27.8	20.6	n/a
1994	565	29.4	19.2	n/a
1995	444	21.3	20.8	n/a
1996	444	21.3	20.8	n/a
1997	436	21.5	20.3	n/a
1998	439	21.0	20.9	n/a
1999	411	23.4	17.6	n/a
2000	454	25.5	17.8	n/a
2001	448	25.5	17.6	n/a
2002	429	25.7	16.7	40.1
2003	429	25.7	16.7	40.1
2004	484	25.0	19.4	38.2
2005	478	24.6	19.4	44.6
2006	463	26.7	17.3	50.7
2007	411	26.0	15.8	49.9
2008	396	22.8	17.4	56.6
2009	406	23.5	17.3	61
2010	379	22.3	16.9	63.1
2011	363	23.2	15.6	56.2
2012	355	20.3	17.4	62
2013	352	21.3	16.5	59.7
2014	330	n/a	n/a	60.3
2015	320	24.0	13.3	55.3
2016	400	24.0	16.6	61
2017	417	27.8	14.9	59.5
2018	383	28.8	13.2	54.6
2019	405	27.7	14.6	60.5
2020	410	28.5	14.3	64.6
2021	346	26.5	13.0	60.7
2022	319	28.0	11.3	62.7
2023	351	24.3	14.4	65

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 School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	503	23.0	21.8	0
1989	513	24.0	21.3	n/a
1990	480	23.3	20.6	0
1991	526	27.3	19.2	n/a
1992	559	27.3	20.4	n/a
1993	572	27.8	20.6	n/a
1994	565	29.4	19.2	n/a
1995	444	21.3	20.8	n/a
1996	444	21.3	20.8	n/a
1997	436	21.5	20.3	n/a
1998	439	21.0	20.9	n/a
1999	411	23.4	17.6	n/a
2000	454	25.5	17.8	n/a
2001	448	25.5	17.6	n/a
2002	429	25.7	16.7	40.1
2003	429	25.7	16.7	40.1
2004	484	25.0	19.4	38.2
2005	478	24.6	19.4	44.6
2006	463	26.7	17.3	50.7
2007	411	26.0	15.8	49.9
2008	396	22.8	17.4	56.6
2009	406	23.5	17.3	61
2010	379	22.3	16.9	63.1
2011	363	23.2	15.6	56.2
2012	355	20.3	17.4	62
2013	352	21.3	16.5	59.7
2014	330	n/a	n/a	60.3
2015	320	24.0	13.3	55.3
2016	400	24.0	16.6	61
2017	417	27.8	14.9	59.5
2018	383	28.8	13.2	54.6
2019	405	27.7	14.6	60.5
2020	410	28.5	14.3	64.6
2021	346	26.5	13.0	60.7
2022	319	28.0	11.3	62.7
2023	351	24.3	14.4	65

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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