Enrollment
588
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Merrick, NY
Birch School
Federal NCES profile for Birch School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 361911001727
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Birch School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Merrick · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- students per teacher
- 7.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Birch School has class sizes near the New York median. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Birch School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Merrick, NY.
School address
District: Merrick Union Free School District · New York
NCES ID 361911001727 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
7.7%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-86% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Birch School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Birch School
Birch School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Merrick, New York, enrolling 588 students.
At 11.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the New York median, within a few percentage points of the 11.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 7.7% free-meal eligibility runs 86% below the New York average.
Enrollment of 588 puts it in the larger third of New York schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 4,801 scored New York schools.
Against 391 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #145.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 1960 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Merrick Union Free School District spends $32,488 per pupil, 23% above the New York average, a better-resourced district than most.
Merrick Union Free School District also operates Norman J Levy Lakeside School (644 students) and Chatterton School (451 students) alongside Birch School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Birch School compares
Birch School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.3:1 | ▼ 4% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.7% | ▼ 86% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 588 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
588
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
7.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 86% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 49% in New York - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$32,488
per pupil, district-wide
- above New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 78.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.9%
Asian 6.8%
African American 2.4%
Two or More 2.4%
Largest group: White at 78.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.7, Birch School is less mixed than the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merrick Union Free School District, which includes Birch School.
$32,488
Per student
+23%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+96%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 78.6%
State 19.1%
Federal 2.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Birch School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norman J Levy Lakeside School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chatterton School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Birch School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 10.3:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~588 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Birch School's federal record.
- Compare Birch School against another school. Compare schools
- Merrick Union Free School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Birch School
How many students attend Birch School?
Birch School has 588 students enrolled. It is a public school in Merrick, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birch School?
The student-teacher ratio at Birch School is 11.3:1, which is 4% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 28% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Birch School?
7.7% of students at Birch School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Birch School?
The largest demographic group at Birch School is White at 78.6% of enrollment, in Merrick, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Birch School?
Birch School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Birch School rank among schools in Merrick?
By Resource Investment Index, Birch School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Merrick, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Merrick on the city page.
Is Birch School a good school?
Birch School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New York median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Merrick Union Free School District?
Besides Birch School, Merrick Union Free School District also operates Norman J Levy Lakeside School (644 students) and Chatterton School (451 students). See the Merrick Union Free School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.