Garfield School

Garfield School is one of the low-enrollment primary schools in Parsons, Kansas, one of the schools within Parsons, with 176 students on its rolls from grades 2 through 3. That puts it 44% smaller than the typical public school in Kansas, which averages around 313 students.

Across the 5 schools in Parsons (1,313 students total), Garfield School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Garfield School reports that the largest single group is White at 49%, but no single group is in the majority. The remainder breaks down as 22% multiracial, 15% Hispanic, 11% Black, 2% Native American. By comparison, Labette County as a whole is about 84% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Garfield School records 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.3:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.2:1 average. An estimated 74% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. By comparison, Labette County runs at roughly 65%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Garfield School ranks in the top 10% of Kansas public schools. The BeatsExpectations model, a per-state regression of composite proficiency on FRL share, predicts schools with this student profile to land around 26.8%; Garfield School posts 55.6%, +28.8 points above that line.

In the broader community, census data for Labette County shows median household earnings sit near $56,325, about 20% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 10%. In all, Labette County runs 18 public schools (combined enrollment of about 3,468 students), of which Garfield School is one.

The closest other public school is Lincoln School, roughly 0.7 miles away. Within five miles, there are 6 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Garfield School at 1st of 6; the average score across the group is 33.6%.

The campus sits in a town-center setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Garfield School's enrollment has declined 10% since 2018, when it stood at 195 (now 176). White enrollment moved from 67% to 49% across the same window. Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.2:1 in 2018 to 11.3:1 in 2025.

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