Enrollment
483
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Newton, NJ
Merriam Avenue School
Federal NCES profile for Merriam Avenue School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 341140005388
👥 S:T ratio 57
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 31
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merriam Avenue School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey median.
- #5 of 5
- schools in Newton · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.7:1
- students per teacher
- 34.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Merriam Avenue School has class sizes near the New Jersey median. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merriam Avenue School ranks #5 of 5 schools in Newton, NJ.
School address
District: Newton Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 341140005388 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.9%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merriam Avenue School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merriam Avenue School
Merriam Avenue School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Newton, New Jersey, enrolling 483 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 34.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 483 students, its enrollment sits close to the New Jersey median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Among 382 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #323, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (43%) and Hispanic or Latino (42%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 483 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Newton's public schools, it stands alongside Frelinghuysen Township Elementary School (121 students): Merriam Avenue School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (10.7:1 vs 9.3:1).
Newton Public School District also operates Newton High School (680 students) and Halsted Middle School (280 students) alongside Merriam Avenue School.
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 Merriam Avenue School compares
Merriam Avenue School on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.7:1 | ▼ 9% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.9% | ▲ 18% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 483 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
483
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.7:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 40% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
27.7%
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
$24,265
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 483 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 43.1%
Hispanic or Latino 42.2%
African American 6.2%
Two or More 5.6%
Asian 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 43.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.9, Merriam Avenue School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Newton Public School District, which includes Merriam Avenue School.
$24,265
Per student
-3%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+46%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 49.0%
State 43.2%
Federal 7.8%
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 Merriam Avenue School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Halsted Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merriam Avenue School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 680
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 280
- Students per teacher
- 7.8:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
Similar other schools in Newton
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~483 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merriam Avenue School's federal record.
- Compare Merriam Avenue School against another school. Compare schools
- Newton Public School District'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 Merriam Avenue School
How many students attend Merriam Avenue School?
Merriam Avenue School has 483 students enrolled. It is a public school in Newton, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merriam Avenue School?
The student-teacher ratio at Merriam Avenue School is 10.7:1, which is 9% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 32% 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 Merriam Avenue School?
34.9% of students at Merriam Avenue School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merriam Avenue School?
The largest demographic group at Merriam Avenue School is White at 43.1% of enrollment, in Newton, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merriam Avenue School?
Merriam Avenue School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Merriam Avenue School rank among schools in Newton?
By Resource Investment Index, Merriam Avenue School ranks #5 of 5 schools in Newton, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Newton on the city page.
Is Merriam Avenue School a good school?
Merriam Avenue School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the New Jersey 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 Newton Public School District?
Besides Merriam Avenue School, Newton Public School District also operates Newton High School (680 students) and Halsted Middle School (280 students). See the Newton Public School District 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.