Enrollment
246
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Merkel, TX
Merkel Middle
Federal NCES profile for Merkel Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 58/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 483034003397
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merkel Middle earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Texas schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Merkel · Resource Index
- 58
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.8:1
- small classes for Texas
- 49.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Merkel Middle has class sizes smaller than 91% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merkel Middle ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Merkel, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.8:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.2%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-21% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merkel Middle compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merkel Middle
Merkel Middle is a mid-sized middle school in Merkel, Texas, enrolling 246 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.8:1, Merkel Middle is leaner than roughly 91% of Texas schools and 33% 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 49.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 246 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 643 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #186.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (29%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 246 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Discipline events run high: 68 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 246 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Merkel Isd also operates Merkel El (563 students) and Merkel H S (281 students) alongside Merkel Middle.
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 Middle compares
Merkel Middle on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.8:1 | ▼ 33% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.2% | ▼ 21% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 246 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.8:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
246
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 21% 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
9.8:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 9% in Texas - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.3%
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
$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 246 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
55
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 22.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 66.7%
Hispanic or Latino 28.5%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 0.8%
Largest group: White at 66.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.2, Merkel Middle is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merkel Isd, which includes Merkel Middle.
$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 Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merkel El | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Merkel H S | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merkel Middle'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
- 281
- Students per teacher
- 8.3:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar middle 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 (~246 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merkel Middle's federal record.
- Compare Merkel Middle 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 Middle
How many students attend Merkel Middle?
Merkel Middle has 246 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Merkel, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merkel Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Merkel Middle is 9.8:1, which is 33% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 38% 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 Middle?
49.2% of students at Merkel Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merkel Middle?
The largest demographic group at Merkel Middle is White at 66.7% of enrollment, in Merkel, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merkel Middle?
Merkel Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 58/100 (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).
How does Merkel Middle rank among public schools in Merkel?
By Resource Investment Index, Merkel Middle ranks #1 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 Middle a good school?
Merkel Middle earns 58/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 Middle, Merkel Isd also operates Merkel El (563 students) and Merkel H S (281 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.