Enrollment
415
Kansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 201164001897
Merriam Park Elementary — Shawnee Mission, KS
Federal NCES profile for Merriam Park Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 57/100.
👥 Class size 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 56
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Shawnee Mission Pub Sch · Kansas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 14.4:1 Kansas avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.4%
vs 42.7% Kansas avg
+9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merriam Park Elementary compares with Kansas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Merriam Park Elementary reports 415 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% below the Kansas state mean of 14.4:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 13% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 9% above the Kansas average and 10% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Shawnee Mission Pub Sch spends $15,904 per pupil district-wide, below the Kansas average of $17,342 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 37.7% from local sources (property taxes), 54.4% from the state, and 7.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C), calculated from 3 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Merriam Park Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Kansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Kansas | Kansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.9:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.4:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.4% | ▲ 9% | 42.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 415 | top 72% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
46.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 9% above the Kansas average of 42.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.9:1
students per teacher
— 3% below state mean
Top 55% in Kansas — lower ratio than 45% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$15,904
per pupil, district-wide
— below Kansas avg of $17,342
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 415 Top 72% in Kansas — larger than 28% of 1,354 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 13.9:1 -3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.4% +9% vs state
NCES ID 201164001897
Student demographics
White 50.8%
Hispanic or Latino 26.3%
African American 11.8%
Two or More 8.0%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 50.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.6%
In-school suspensions 8
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shawnee Mission Pub Sch, which includes Merriam Park Elementary.
$15,904
Per student
-8%
vs Kansas
Avg $17,342
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 37.7%
State 54.4%
Federal 7.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,737
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 1,599
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,599
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,574
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Enrollment
- 1,502
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
Similar other schools in Shawnee Mission
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Briarwood Elem
Standard public school
674 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
Corinth Elem
Standard public school
576 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
Brookridge Elem
Standard public school
548 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Shawanoe Elem
Standard public school
530 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Apache Elem
Standard public school
526 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Mill Creek Elem
Standard public school
495 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Merriam Park Elementary
How many students attend Merriam Park Elementary?
Merriam Park Elementary has 415 students enrolled. It is a other school in Shawnee Mission, KS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merriam Park Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Merriam Park Elementary is 13.9:1, which is 3% lower than the Kansas average of 14.4:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merriam Park Elementary?
46.4% of students at Merriam Park Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kansas average of 42.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merriam Park Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Merriam Park Elementary is White at 50.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Shawnee Mission, KS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merriam Park Elementary?
Merriam Park Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 57/100 (C) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.