Enrollment
170
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Meridian, TX
Meridian El
Federal NCES profile for Meridian El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 67/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483030006178
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Meridian El earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Texas schools.
- 67
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.5:1
- small classes for Texas
- 68.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 170
- students enrolled
Meridian El has class sizes smaller than 95% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.5:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
68.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meridian El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Meridian El
Meridian El is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Meridian, Texas, enrolling 170 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.5:1, Meridian El is leaner than roughly 95% of Texas schools and 42% under the state's 14.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 68.2% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 170 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 97% of the 8,960 Texas schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 409 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #35, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (48%) and Hispanic or Latino (42%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 170 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
14.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Meridian Isd spends $18,341 per pupil, 34% above the Texas average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 22.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Meridian Isd, also runs Meridian H S (212 students).
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 Meridian El compares
Meridian El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.5:1 | ▼ 42% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 68.2% | ▲ 10% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 170 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.5:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
170
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
68.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 10% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.5:1
students per teacher
- 42% below state mean
Top 5% in Texas - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
14.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$18,341
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 170 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.2 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 48.2%
Hispanic or Latino 41.8%
Two or More 5.3%
African American 2.9%
Asian 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 48.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.9, Meridian El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Meridian Isd, which includes Meridian El.
$18,341
Per student
+34%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 40.4%
State 37.0%
Federal 22.5%
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 Meridian El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian H S | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Meridian El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 212
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~170 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Meridian El's federal record.
- Compare Meridian El against another school. Compare schools
- Meridian Isd'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 Meridian El
How many students attend Meridian El?
Meridian El has 170 students enrolled. It is a public school in Meridian, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meridian El?
The student-teacher ratio at Meridian El is 8.5:1, which is 42% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 46% 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 Meridian El?
68.2% of students at Meridian El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meridian El?
The largest demographic group at Meridian El is White at 48.2% of enrollment, in Meridian, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meridian El?
Meridian El has a Resource Investment Index of 67/100 (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).
Is Meridian El a good school?
Meridian El earns 67/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Texas schools. 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 Meridian Isd?
Besides Meridian El, Meridian Isd also operates Meridian H S (212 students). See the Meridian Isd 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.