Enrollment
893
Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Falls Church, VA
Meridian High
Federal NCES profile for Meridian High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 510129000283
👥 S:T ratio 44
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Meridian High earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia median.
- #1 of 4
- high schools in Falls Church · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14:1
- students per teacher
- 8.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Meridian High has class sizes near the Virginia median. Computed live against every Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Meridian High ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Falls Church, VA.
School address
District: Falls Church City Public Schools · Virginia
NCES ID 510129000283 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
64.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 13.9:1 Virginia avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.1%
vs 57.6% Virginia avg
-86% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Meridian High compares with Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Meridian High
Meridian High is a lower-poverty, mid-sized high school in Falls Church, Virginia, enrolling 893 students.
At 14:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Virginia median, within a few percentage points of the 13.9:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 8.1% free-meal eligibility runs 86% below the Virginia average.
Enrollment of 893 puts it in the larger third of Virginia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 1,868 Virginia schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 173 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Virginia schools statewide, it ranks #4, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 58/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 149 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
10.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Falls Church City Public Schools spends $23,332 per pupil, 59% above the Virginia average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Falls Church's high schools, it stands alongside Justice High (2,357 students): Meridian High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14:1 vs 16.1:1).
Falls Church City Public Schools also operates Mary Ellen Henderson Middle (632 students) and Oak Street Elementary (587 students) alongside Meridian High.
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 High compares
Meridian High on the metrics families compare, against Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Virginia | Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.1% | ▼ 86% | 57.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 893 | top 18% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14:1
Leaner classes than 57% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
893
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
8.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 86% below the Virginia average of 57.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 53% in Virginia - lower ratio than 47% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.0%
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
$23,332
per pupil, district-wide
- above Virginia avg of $14,649
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 149 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.0 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 61.0%
Hispanic or Latino 15.6%
Two or More 12.3%
Asian 7.2%
African American 3.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 61.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.2, Meridian High is more mixed than the Virginia school average of 53.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Falls Church City Public Schools, which includes Meridian High.
$23,332
Per student
+59%
vs Virginia
Avg $14,649
+41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 82.7%
State 14.1%
Federal 3.2%
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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Ellen Henderson Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Oak Street Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mount Daniel Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jessie Thackrey Preschool | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Meridian High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 632
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 72/100
- Enrollment
- 587
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
- Enrollment
- 486
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 73
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar high schools in Falls Church
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~893 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Meridian High's federal record.
- Compare Meridian High against another school. Compare schools
- Falls Church City 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 High
How many students attend Meridian High?
Meridian High has 893 students enrolled. It is a high school in Falls Church, VA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Meridian High?
The student-teacher ratio at Meridian High is 14:1, which is 1% higher than the Virginia average of 13.9:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Meridian High?
8.1% of students at Meridian High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Virginia average of 57.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Meridian High?
The largest demographic group at Meridian High is White at 61.0% of enrollment, in Falls Church, VA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Meridian High?
Meridian High has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Meridian High rank among high schools in Falls Church?
By Resource Investment Index, Meridian High ranks #1 of 4 high schools in Falls Church, VA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Falls Church on the city page.
Is Meridian High a good school?
Meridian High earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Virginia 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 Falls Church City Public Schools?
Besides Meridian High, Falls Church City Public Schools also operates Mary Ellen Henderson Middle (632 students), Oak Street Elementary (587 students), and Mount Daniel Elementary (486 students). See the Falls Church City 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.