Florence Wilson Elem

Florence Wilson Elem is a middle-of-the-pack elementary school in Garden City, Kansas, one of the schools within Garden City. The school serves 376 students in grades K through 4. Enrollment runs roughly 20% above the state mean of about 313.

Within Garden City, which oversees 18 schools and 7,032 students, Florence Wilson Elem is one campus in the system.

In terms of who attends, Florence Wilson Elem reports that Hispanic students make up the majority at 58%. Other groups include 18% White, 15% Black, 7% Asian, 3% multiracial.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Florence Wilson Elem has 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 15.7:1. The state averages around 13.2:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 74% of students at Florence Wilson Elem qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Florence Wilson Elem performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 26.9%, the actual is 32.2%, a residual of +5.3 points.

Around the school, ACS estimates for Finney County put median household income runs about $73,009, 19% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 9%. In all, Finney County runs 23 public schools (combined enrollment of about 7,939 students), of which Florence Wilson Elem is one.

Kenneth Henderson Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Florence Wilson Elem at 2nd of 8; the average score across the group is 24.6%.

The campus sits in a town-based setting.

Five-year trend. Florence Wilson Elem's enrollment has grew 4% since 2018, when it stood at 363 (now 376). White enrollment moved from 26% to 18% across the same window. Class-load math has rose: from 13.0:1 in 2018 to 15.7:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Florence Wilson Elem typically covers school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.