Enrollment
281
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Merkel, TX
Merkel H S
Federal NCES profile for Merkel H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 483034003396
👥 S:T ratio 67
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merkel H S earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Texas schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Merkel · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.3:1
- small classes for Texas
- 39.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Merkel H S has class sizes smaller than 95% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merkel H S ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Merkel, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.3:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-44% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merkel H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merkel H S
Merkel H S is a mid-sized high school in Merkel, Texas, enrolling 281 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.3:1, Merkel H S is leaner than roughly 95% of Texas schools and 44% under the state's 14.7:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 281 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 565 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #295.
Its student body is led by White (70%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 44/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 281 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 73 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 281 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Merkel Isd also operates Merkel El (563 students) and Merkel Middle (246 students) alongside Merkel H S.
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 H S compares
Merkel H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.3:1 | ▼ 44% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.4% | ▼ 36% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 281 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.3:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
281
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
8.3:1
students per teacher
- 44% below state mean
Top 5% in Texas - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.1%
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
$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 281 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
61
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.0 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 70.1%
Hispanic or Latino 25.3%
Two or More 2.5%
African American 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
Largest group: White at 70.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.4, Merkel H S is about as mixed as the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merkel Isd, which includes Merkel H S.
$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 H S Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel El | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Merkel Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merkel H S's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 246
- Students per teacher
- 9.8:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar high 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 (~281 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merkel H S's federal record.
- Compare Merkel H S 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 H S
How many students attend Merkel H S?
Merkel H S has 281 students enrolled. It is a high school in Merkel, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merkel H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Merkel H S is 8.3:1, which is 44% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 47% 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 H S?
39.4% of students at Merkel H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merkel H S?
The largest demographic group at Merkel H S is White at 70.1% of enrollment, in Merkel, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merkel H S?
Merkel H S has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical 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 Merkel H S rank among public schools in Merkel?
By Resource Investment Index, Merkel H S ranks #2 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 H S a good school?
Merkel H S earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Texas 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 Merkel Isd?
Besides Merkel H S, Merkel Isd also operates Merkel El (563 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.