Enrollment
588
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 361911001727
Birch School — Merrick, NY
Federal NCES profile for Birch School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 80
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Merrick Union Free School District · New York
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
52.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 11.7:1 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
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Birch School reports 588 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 52.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the New York state mean of 11.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 30% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 7.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 86% below the New York average and 85% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 1960 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Merrick Union Free School District spends $35,197 per pupil district-wide, above the New York average of $29,727 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 78.6% from local sources (property taxes), 19.1% from the state, and 2.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Birch School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New York state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.2:1 | ▼ 4% | 11.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 7.7% | ▼ 86% | 56.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 588 | top 72% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
7.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 86% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.2:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 46% in New York — lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
8.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$35,197
per pupil, district-wide
— above New York avg of $29,727
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.3 FTE
Per 1960 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 588 Top 72% in New York — larger than 28% of 4,812 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 52.0
Students per teacher 11.2:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 7.7% -86% vs state
NCES ID 361911001727
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.3
Students per counselor 1960:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.2%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merrick Union Free School District, which includes Birch School.
$35,197
Per student
+18%
vs New York
Avg $29,727
+81%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 644
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 451
- Students per teacher
- 9.9:1
Similar other schools in Merrick
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Birch School
How many students attend Birch School?
Birch School has 588 students enrolled. It is a other school in MERRICK, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Birch School?
The student-teacher ratio at Birch School is 11.2:1, which is 4% lower than the New York average of 11.7:1 and 30% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in MERRICK, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Birch School?
Birch School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.