Enrollment
494
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 160210000368
Mary Mcpherson Elementary — Meridian, ID
Federal NCES profile for Mary Mcpherson Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
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: Joint School District No. 2 · Idaho
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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 17.3:1 Idaho avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
14.7%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mary Mcpherson Elementary compares with Idaho 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
Mary Mcpherson Elementary reports 494 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the Idaho state mean of 17.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 14.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% below the Idaho average and 72% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 494 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Joint School District No. 2 spends $8,978 per pupil district-wide, below the Idaho average of $12,943 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 22.0% from local sources (property taxes), 63.9% from the state, and 14.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Mary Mcpherson Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Idaho state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Idaho | Idaho avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.6:1 | ▲ 2% | 17.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 14.7% | ▼ 50% | 29.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 494 | top 74% | — | — |
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
14.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% below the Idaho average of 29.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.6:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 52% in Idaho — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$8,978
per pupil, district-wide
— below Idaho avg of $12,943
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 494 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 494 Top 74% in Idaho — larger than 26% of 778 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 17.6:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 14.7% -50% vs state
NCES ID 160210000368
Student demographics
White 72.9%
Hispanic or Latino 14.6%
Two or More 5.9%
Asian 4.3%
African American 2.4%
Largest group: White at 72.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 494:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Joint School District No. 2, which includes Mary Mcpherson Elementary.
$8,978
Per student
-31%
vs Idaho
Avg $12,943
-54%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 22.0%
State 63.9%
Federal 14.1%
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
- 2,463
- Students per teacher
- 21.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,884
- Students per teacher
- 22.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,848
- Students per teacher
- 22.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,774
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Enrollment
- 1,765
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
Similar other schools in Meridian
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Idaho Virtual Academy
Standard public school
1,801 students 20.5:1 students per teacher
Compass Public Charter School
Standard public school
1,265 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Hillsdale Elementary
Standard public school
769 students 20.9:1 students per teacher
Pleasant View Elementary
Standard public school
747 students 19.9:1 students per teacher
Silver Trail Elementary School
Standard public school
628 students 20:1 students per teacher
Siena Elementary
Standard public school
565 students 19.8:1 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 Mary Mcpherson Elementary
How many students attend Mary Mcpherson Elementary?
Mary Mcpherson Elementary has 494 students enrolled. It is a other school in MERIDIAN, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mary Mcpherson Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mary Mcpherson Elementary is 17.6:1, which is 2% higher than the Idaho average of 17.3:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mary Mcpherson Elementary?
14.7% of students at Mary Mcpherson Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mary Mcpherson Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mary Mcpherson Elementary is White at 72.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in MERIDIAN, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mary Mcpherson Elementary?
Mary Mcpherson Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.