Enrollment
563
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Merkel, TX
Merkel El
Federal NCES profile for Merkel El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483034003395
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merkel El earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Merkel · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.4:1
- students per teacher
- 57.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Merkel El has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merkel El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Merkel, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.4:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merkel El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merkel El
Merkel El is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Merkel, Texas, enrolling 563 students.
At 14.4:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Texas median, within a few percentage points of the 14.7:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.9% lands close to the Texas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 563 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,527 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #763.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 563 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Merkel Isd also operates Merkel H S (281 students) and Merkel Middle (246 students) alongside Merkel El.
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 Merkel El compares
Merkel El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.4:1 | ▼ 2% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.9% | ▼ 6% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 563 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.4:1
Leaner classes than 53% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
563
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.4:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 52% in Texas - lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
17.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$12,162
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 563 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
37
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 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 70.7%
Hispanic or Latino 24.5%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 70.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.9, Merkel El is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merkel Isd, which includes Merkel El.
$12,162
Per student
-11%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.6%
State 51.4%
Federal 13.0%
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 Merkel El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel H S | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Merkel Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merkel El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 281
- Students per teacher
- 8.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 246
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~563 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merkel El's federal record.
- Compare Merkel El against another school. Compare schools
- Merkel Isd'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 Merkel El
How many students attend Merkel El?
Merkel El has 563 students enrolled. It is a public school in Merkel, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merkel El?
The student-teacher ratio at Merkel El is 14.4:1, which is 2% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 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 Merkel El?
57.9% of students at Merkel El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merkel El?
The largest demographic group at Merkel El is White at 70.7% of enrollment, in Merkel, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merkel El?
Merkel El has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical 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).
How does Merkel El rank among public schools in Merkel?
By Resource Investment Index, Merkel El ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Merkel, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Merkel on the city page.
Is Merkel El a good school?
Merkel El earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas 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 Merkel Isd?
Besides Merkel El, Merkel Isd also operates Merkel H S (281 students) and Merkel Middle (246 students). See the Merkel Isd 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.