Enrollment
438
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Merion Station, PA
Merion El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Merion El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 421416003287
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 82
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merion El Sch earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Pennsylvania schools.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 11.7%
- free-lunch eligible
- 438
- students enrolled
Merion El Sch has class sizes smaller than 79% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lower Merion Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421416003287 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-80% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merion El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merion El Sch
Merion El Sch is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, enrolling 438 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.7% free-meal eligibility runs 80% below the Pennsylvania average.
With 438 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 291 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #78.
Its student body is led by White (64%) and Asian (14%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 438 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 7.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Lower Merion Sd spends $30,110 per pupil, 68% above the Pennsylvania average, a better-resourced district than most.
Lower Merion Sd also operates Lower Merion Hs (1,674 students) and Harriton Shs (1,239 students) alongside Merion El Sch.
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 Merion El Sch compares
Merion El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.5:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.7% | ▼ 80% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
438
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 80% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
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
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 21% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
7.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$30,110
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 438 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 64.2%
Asian 14.4%
Two or More 10.7%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
African American 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: White at 64.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.0, Merion El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lower Merion Sd, which includes Merion El Sch.
$30,110
Per student
+68%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+81%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 83.7%
State 14.1%
Federal 2.3%
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 Merion El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Merion Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Harriton Shs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Black Rock Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Bala-Cynwyd Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Welsh Valley Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merion El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,674
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 1,239
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 1,077
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 794
- Students per teacher
- 10.1:1
- Resource Index
- 70/100
- Enrollment
- 788
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 68/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~438 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merion El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Merion El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Lower Merion Sd'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 Merion El Sch
How many students attend Merion El Sch?
Merion El Sch has 438 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Merion Station, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merion El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Merion El Sch is 11.5:1, which is 15% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 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 Merion El Sch?
11.7% of students at Merion El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merion El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Merion El Sch is White at 64.2% of enrollment, in Merion Station, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merion El Sch?
Merion El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Merion El Sch a good school?
Merion El Sch earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Pennsylvania 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 Lower Merion Sd?
Besides Merion El Sch, Lower Merion Sd also operates Lower Merion Hs (1,674 students), Harriton Shs (1,239 students), and Black Rock Ms (1,077 students). See the Lower Merion Sd 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.