Enrollment
1,774
Idaho · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 160210000372
Meridian High School — Meridian, ID
Federal NCES profile for Meridian High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 24
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
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)
94.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 17.3:1 Idaho avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.7%
vs 29.3% Idaho avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meridian High School 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
Meridian High School reports 1,774 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 94.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 19% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 46% below the Idaho average and 70% below the national baseline. The school offers 9 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 321 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 44/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Meridian High School 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 | 19:1 | ▲ 10% | 17.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.7% | ▼ 46% | 29.3% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,774 | top 99% | — | — |
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
15.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 46% 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
19:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 68% in Idaho — lower ratio than 32% 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
Counselors5.5 FTE
Per 321 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
40
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 1,774 Top 99% in Idaho — larger than 1% of 778 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 94.0
Students per teacher 19:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.7% -46% vs state
NCES ID 160210000372
Student demographics
White 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino 21.5%
Two or More 4.2%
African American 1.9%
Asian 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 70.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.5
Students per counselor 321:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 40
Out-of-school suspensions 45
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Joint School District No. 2, which includes Meridian High School.
$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
- 1,765
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,743
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
Similar high schools in Meridian
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Mountain View High School
Standard public school
2,463 students 21.8:1 students per teacher
Owyhee High School
Standard public school
1,884 students 22.4:1 students per teacher
Rocky Mountain High School
Standard public school
1,848 students 22.8:1 students per teacher
Renaissance High School
Standard public school
662 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Insight School of Idaho
Alternative education program
262 students 24.4:1 students per teacher
Swan Falls High School
Standard public school
225 students 5:1 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 Meridian High School
How many students attend Meridian High School?
Meridian High School has 1,774 students enrolled. It is a high school in MERIDIAN, ID.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meridian High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Meridian High School is 19:1, which is 10% higher than the Idaho average of 17.3:1 and 19% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Meridian High School?
15.7% of students at Meridian High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Idaho average of 29.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meridian High School?
The largest demographic group at Meridian High School is White at 70.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in MERIDIAN, ID.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meridian High School?
Meridian High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.