Enrollment
114
Nebraska · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Daykin, NE
Meridian Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Meridian Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 70/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 317366001235
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 77
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Meridian Elementary School earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska median.
- 70
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.4:1
- students per teacher
- 34.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 114
- students enrolled
Meridian Elementary School has class sizes near the Nebraska median. Computed live against every Nebraska school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Meridian Public Schools · Nebraska
NCES ID 317366001235 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 13.5:1 Nebraska avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.4%
vs 30.9% Nebraska avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meridian Elementary School compares with Nebraska and U.S. medians
What stands out at Meridian Elementary School
Meridian Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Daykin, Nebraska, enrolling 114 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 34.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 114 puts it in the smaller third of Nebraska schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 1,003 Nebraska schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 178 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #22.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment) (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 114 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Meridian Public Schools spends $21,196 per pupil, 20% above the Nebraska average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district, Meridian Public Schools, also runs Meridian High School (105 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 Elementary School compares
Meridian Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Nebraska and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Nebraska | Nebraska avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.4:1 | ▼ 16% | 13.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.4% | ▲ 11% | 30.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 114 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
114
Bigger than 11% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% above the Nebraska average of 30.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 33% in Nebraska - lower ratio than 67% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$21,196
per pupil, district-wide
- above Nebraska avg of $17,680
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 114 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.9 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 93.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.5%
Two or More 1.8%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Largest group: White at 93.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.3, Meridian Elementary School is less mixed than the Nebraska school average of 34.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Meridian Public Schools, which includes Meridian Elementary School.
$21,196
Per student
+20%
vs Nebraska
Avg $17,680
+28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 63.7%
State 25.0%
Federal 11.3%
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.
How Meridian Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meridian High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Meridian Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 105
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Nebraska, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~114 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Meridian Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Meridian Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Meridian Public Schools'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 Elementary School
How many students attend Meridian Elementary School?
Meridian Elementary School has 114 students enrolled. It is a public school in Daykin, NE.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meridian Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Meridian Elementary School is 11.4:1, which is 16% lower than the Nebraska average of 13.5:1 and 27% 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 Elementary School?
34.4% of students at Meridian Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Nebraska average of 30.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meridian Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Meridian Elementary School is White at 93.0% of enrollment, in Daykin, NE.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meridian Elementary School?
Meridian Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 70/100 (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 Elementary School a good school?
Meridian Elementary School earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Nebraska median. 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 Public Schools?
Besides Meridian Elementary School, Meridian Public Schools also operates Meridian High School (105 students). See the Meridian Public Schools 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.