Enrollment
268
Tennessee · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 470258002463
Jackson Central-Merry Early College High — Jackson, TN
Federal NCES profile for Jackson Central-Merry Early College High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 26
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 82
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: Madison County · Tennessee
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)
13.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 15.6:1 Tennessee avg
+19% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Jackson Central-Merry Early College High compares with Tennessee 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
Jackson Central-Merry Early College High reports 268 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 13.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% above the Tennessee state mean of 15.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
The school offers 1 Advanced Placement course, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 268 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 7.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Madison County spends $11,117 per pupil district-wide, below the Tennessee average of $12,324 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.3% from local sources (property taxes), 39.1% from the state, and 21.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Jackson Central-Merry Early College High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Tennessee state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Tennessee | Tennessee avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.5:1 | ▲ 19% | 15.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 268 | top 18% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
18.5:1
students per teacher
— 19% above state mean
Top 89% in Tennessee — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
7.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$11,117
per pupil, district-wide
— below Tennessee avg of $12,324
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 268 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 268 Top 18% in Tennessee — larger than 82% of 1,844 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 13.0
Students per teacher 18.5:1 +19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 470258002463
Student demographics
African American 63.8%
White 20.5%
Hispanic or Latino 8.2%
Two or More 5.2%
Asian 2.2%
Largest group: African American at 63.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 268:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 7.1%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Madison County, which includes Jackson Central-Merry Early College High.
$11,117
Per student
-10%
vs Tennessee
Avg $12,324
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 39.1%
Federal 21.6%
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
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 804
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Enrollment
- 776
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 665
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
Similar high schools in Jackson
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
North Side High School
Standard public school
903 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
South Side High School
Standard public school
756 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Liberty Technology Magnet High School
Standard public school
604 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Jackson Central Merry High School
Standard public school
507 students 33.7:1 students per teacher
Madison Academic Magnet High School
Standard public school
483 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
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 Jackson Central-Merry Early College High
How many students attend Jackson Central-Merry Early College High?
Jackson Central-Merry Early College High has 268 students enrolled. It is a high school in Jackson, TN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Jackson Central-Merry Early College High?
The student-teacher ratio at Jackson Central-Merry Early College High is 18.5:1, which is 19% higher than the Tennessee average of 15.6:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Jackson Central-Merry Early College High?
The largest demographic group at Jackson Central-Merry Early College High is African American at 63.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Jackson, TN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Jackson Central-Merry Early College High?
Jackson Central-Merry Early College High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.