GARFIELD ELEMENTARY

GARFIELD ELEMENTARY is a modestly sized primary school in BRAINERD, Minnesota, part of BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT. The school enrolls 250 students in grades pre-K through 4. Compared to the state average of about 344 students per school, that is 27% leaner than typical.

BRAINERD PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT comprises 13 schools with combined enrollment of 6,079 students; GARFIELD ELEMENTARY is among them.

On the student-mix side, GARFIELD ELEMENTARY reports that the student body is overwhelmingly White (81%). The remainder breaks down as 10% multiracial, 5% Native American, 3% Hispanic. That is noticeably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 94%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, GARFIELD ELEMENTARY has 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 13.7:1 average. Roughly 52% of students at GARFIELD ELEMENTARY qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. By comparison, Crow Wing County runs at roughly 40%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

With demographic context factored in, GARFIELD ELEMENTARY sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 36.9%; this one delivers 34.1%.

Across the wider county, community-level numbers for Crow Wing County indicate median household earnings sit near $72,589, roughly 29% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Crow Wing County's 24 public schools (combined enrollment of about 9,399 students), GARFIELD ELEMENTARY is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: ISD 181 LEARNING CENTER, around 0.6 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), GARFIELD ELEMENTARY ranks 5th on composite proficiency, beneath the local average of 45.4%.

Geographically, the school is in a town-based area.

Trend over the last 7 years. GARFIELD ELEMENTARY's enrollment has fell 37% since 2018, when it stood at 395 (now 250). The White share of enrollment fell from 90% to 81% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 14.0:1 in 2018 to 12.1:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, members of the GARFIELD ELEMENTARY community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.