Enrollment
159
Colorado · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Merino, CO
Merino Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Merino Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 080564000969
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merino Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Colorado schools.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 20.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 159
- students enrolled
Merino Elementary School has class sizes near the Colorado median. Computed live against every Colorado school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: School District No. Re-4 Buffalo · Colorado
NCES ID 080564000969 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
11.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 16.6:1 Colorado avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.0%
vs 38.5% Colorado avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merino Elementary School compares with Colorado and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merino Elementary School
Merino Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Merino, Colorado, enrolling 159 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 20.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 159 puts it in the smaller third of Colorado schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,922 scored Colorado schools.
Against 99 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #48.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 18/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district, School District No. Re-4 Buffalo, also runs Merino Junior Senior High School (155 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 Merino Elementary School compares
Merino Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Colorado and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Colorado | Colorado avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▼ 13% | 16.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.0% | ▼ 48% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 159 | top 81% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
159
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% below the Colorado average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 37% in Colorado - lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
23.3%
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
$15,475
per pupil, district-wide
- below Colorado avg of $16,273
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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 89.9%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
Two or More 0.6%
Largest group: White at 89.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.3, Merino Elementary School is less mixed than the Colorado school average of 47.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School District No. Re-4 Buffalo, which includes Merino Elementary School.
$15,475
Per student
-5%
vs Colorado
Avg $16,273
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.9%
State 57.9%
Federal 7.2%
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 Merino Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merino Junior Senior High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merino Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 155
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Colorado, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~159 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merino Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Merino Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- School District No. Re-4 Buffalo'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 Merino Elementary School
How many students attend Merino Elementary School?
Merino Elementary School has 159 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Merino, CO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merino Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Merino Elementary School is 14.5:1, which is 13% lower than the Colorado average of 16.6:1 and 8% 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 Merino Elementary School?
20.0% of students at Merino Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Colorado average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merino Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Merino Elementary School is White at 89.9% of enrollment, in Merino, CO.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merino Elementary School?
Merino Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Merino Elementary School a good school?
Merino Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Colorado median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Colorado 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 School District No. Re-4 Buffalo?
Besides Merino Elementary School, School District No. Re-4 Buffalo also operates Merino Junior Senior High School (155 students). See the School District No. Re-4 Buffalo 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.