Garfield Elementary School

Garfield Elementary School is a compact primary school in OLYMPIA, Washington, overseen by Olympia School District. The school serves 314 students in grades pre-K through 5.

Olympia School District comprises 20 schools with combined enrollment of 9,386 students; Garfield Elementary School is among them.

Looking at the student body, Garfield Elementary School lists that 48% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups; the rest breaks down as 18% Hispanic, 16% multiracial, 5% Asian, 3% Black. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 72%.

Looking at the economic backdrop, The school employs 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 13.2:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 17.3:1 average. Around 61% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Thurston County runs at roughly 43%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Garfield Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 39.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 37.9%.

Zooming out to the county, Thurston County reports that median household earnings sit near $96,563, 39% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Thurston County's 86 public schools (combined enrollment of about 44,412 students), Garfield Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Jefferson Middle School, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Garfield Elementary School at 8th of 8; the average score across the group is 50.3%.

Garfield Elementary School operates from an urban location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Garfield Elementary School has contracted 18%, going from 383 students in 2018 to 314 in 2025. The Asian share of enrollment contracted from 10% to 5% over that span.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.