High school (grades 9-12) · Sanford, MI

Meridian Early College High School

Federal NCES profile for Meridian Early College High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 17/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 262358008394
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10017/100
👥 S:T ratio
34
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
5
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Meridian Early College High School earns 17/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Michigan median.

#3 of 3
public schools in Sanford · Resource Index
17
Resource Index · Lower
16.5:1
students per teacher
38.0%
free-lunch eligible

Meridian Early College High School has class sizes near the Michigan median. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Meridian Early College High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Sanford, MI.

School address

Sanford, MI 48657
District: Meridian Public Schools · Michigan

NCES ID 262358008394 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-9 students YoY

Meridian Early College High School held near 399 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-9 headcount).

Teacher FTE lost 24.3 → 22.7 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Steady CCD campus

-9 students YoY 262358008394 · Sanford, MI High · SMALL · TRAD

396 enr · 16.5:1 · 38.0% lunch · RII 17

Nearest enrollment peer: Meridian Elementary School (537 students)

Meridian Early College High School held near 399 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-9 headcount). Teacher FTE lost 24.3 → 22.7 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · Michigan schools → · Find another →

Meridian Early College High School in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Meridian Early College High School reports 396 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Meridian Early College High School compares

Meridian Early College High School held steady on CCD headcount: ratios and free-lunch share vs Michigan and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Michigan Michigan avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 16.5:1 ▼ 6% 17.5:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 38.0% ▼ 30% 54.3% 51.7%
Enrollment 396 top 42% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
396
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
38.0%
free-lunch eligible - 30% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.5:1
students per teacher - 6% below state mean
Top 48% in Michigan - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
38.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,360
per pupil, district-wide - below Michigan avg of $15,012
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 41 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

White 92.4%
Two or More 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
African American 1.5%
Asian 0.5%

Largest group: White at 92.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 14.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 14.4, Meridian Early College High School is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.

Programs

AP program Not offered

District finance for Meridian Public Schools reports $14,360 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Meridian Early College High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Meridian Elementary School Larger Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Meridian Junior High School Similar size Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Meridian Early College High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Meridian Public Schools · 2 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide high schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~396 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.5:1)

Frequently asked questions about Meridian Early College High School

How many students attend Meridian Early College High School?

Meridian Early College High School has 396 students enrolled. It is a high school in Sanford, MI. CCD year-over-year: 408 (2022-23) → 399 (2023-24), nearly flat (-9).

What is the student-teacher ratio at Meridian Early College High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Meridian Early College High School is 16.5:1, which is 6% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 and 5% higher 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 Meridian Early College High School?

38.0% of students at Meridian Early College High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meridian Early College High School?

The largest demographic group at Meridian Early College High School is White at 92.4% of enrollment, in Sanford, MI.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Meridian Early College High School?

Meridian Early College High School has a Resource Investment Index of 17/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Meridian Early College High School rank among public schools in Sanford?

By Resource Investment Index, Meridian Early College High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Sanford, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking.

What other schools are in Meridian Public Schools?

Besides Meridian Early College High School, Meridian Public Schools also operates Meridian Elementary School (537 students) and Meridian Junior High School (441 students). See the Meridian Public Schools district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .