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Merrill, Michigan - 3 schools
An equity score of 56/100 ranks Merrill Community Schools #254 of 707 districts in Michigan (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $13,058 per pupil, Merrill Community Schools ranks #348 of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending (Michigan districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
522
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$13,058
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Merrill Community Schools operates 3 public schools serving 522 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Michigan. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Saginaw County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,058 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 821 Michigan districts by per-pupil spending. See how Michigan compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 29.9% local, 53.5% state, and 16.7% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 56/100, ranked #254 of 707 in Michigan against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
a 152.7:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 15.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 94.6% White, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Merrill High School, with a diversity index of 15.6/100.
Its largest campus is Merrill Elementary School, enrolling 196 students (43% of the district's total enrollment).
Merrill Elementary School accounts for 37.5% of all Merrill Community Schools student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Merrill Community Schools-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Merrill Community Schools school enrollment varies 2.0× across entities
Merrill Community Schools school enrollment ranges from 97 students (lowest) to 196 students (highest), a spread of 99 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Merrill Community Schools has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 51.4% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Merrill Community Schools student-counselor ratio is 153:1 — well below typical (typically associated with unusually small scale or exceptionally high per-unit investment)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Values this far below typical often correlate with unusually small scale or population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se — worth checking whether the underlying denominator is itself an outlier.
Merrill Community Schools chronic absenteeism rate is 15.4% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Merrill Community Schools is typically wider than the Merrill Community Schools-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Merrill Community Schools?
Merrill Community Schools has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 middle. Total enrollment is 522 students.
How much does Merrill Community Schools spend per student?
Merrill Community Schools spends $13,058 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #254 in Michigan.
What is the demographic composition of Merrill Community Schools?
Merrill Community Schools students are 94.6% White, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% African American, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Merrill Community Schools?
Merrill Community Schools has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #254 out of 707 districts in Michigan.