Enrollment
343
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Panama City, FL
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Merriam Cherry Street Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 120009000043
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 31
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Florida schools.
- #11 of 22
- schools in Panama City · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.3:1
- small classes for Florida
- 72.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary has class sizes smaller than 74% of Florida schools. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merriam Cherry Street Elementary ranks #11 of 22 schools in Panama City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.1%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merriam Cherry Street Elementary compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merriam Cherry Street Elementary
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Panama City, Florida, enrolling 343 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 72.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 343 puts it in the smaller third of Florida schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Against 427 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #207.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and African American (37%) (diversity index 68/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 343 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 82.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 157 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 343 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students) and Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students) alongside Merriam Cherry Street Elementary.
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 Cherry Street Elementary compares
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.3:1 | ▼ 20% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.1% | ▲ 39% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 343 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
343
Bigger than 39% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% above the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 26% in Florida - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
82.2%
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
$10,446
per pupil, district-wide
- below Florida avg of $11,167
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 343 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
86
in-school suspensions + 71 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 25.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 45.8 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 39.9%
African American 36.7%
Hispanic or Latino 13.4%
Two or More 9.0%
Asian 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 39.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.0, Merriam Cherry Street Elementary is more mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bay, which includes Merriam Cherry Street Elementary.
$10,446
Per student
-6%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 33.0%
Federal 21.0%
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 Merriam Cherry Street Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Crawford Mosley High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Deane Bozeman School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J.R. Arnold High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rutherford High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bay High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merriam Cherry Street Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,864
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,690
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,629
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,394
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~343 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merriam Cherry Street Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Merriam Cherry Street Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Bay'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 Cherry Street Elementary
How many students attend Merriam Cherry Street Elementary?
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary has 343 students enrolled. It is a public school in Panama City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merriam Cherry Street Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Merriam Cherry Street Elementary is 14.3:1, which is 20% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 9% 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 Cherry Street Elementary?
72.1% of students at Merriam Cherry Street Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merriam Cherry Street Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Merriam Cherry Street Elementary is White at 39.9% of enrollment, in Panama City, FL. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merriam Cherry Street Elementary?
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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 Cherry Street Elementary rank among schools in Panama City?
By Resource Investment Index, Merriam Cherry Street Elementary ranks #11 of 22 schools in Panama City, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Panama City on the city page.
Is Merriam Cherry Street Elementary a good school?
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Florida 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 Bay?
Besides Merriam Cherry Street Elementary, Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students), Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students), and J.R. Arnold High School (1,629 students). See the Bay 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.