Enrollment
395
Massachusetts · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Acton, MA
Merriam School
Federal NCES profile for Merriam School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 250171000029
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merriam School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts median.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Acton · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.3:1
- students per teacher
- 395
- students enrolled
Merriam School has class sizes near the Massachusetts median. Computed live against every Massachusetts school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merriam School ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Acton, MA.
School address
District: Acton-Boxborough · Massachusetts
NCES ID 250171000029 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 12.3:1 Massachusetts avg
+0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merriam School compares with Massachusetts and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merriam School
Merriam School is a mid-sized elementary school in Acton, Massachusetts, enrolling 395 students.
At 12.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Massachusetts median, within a few percentage points of the 12.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
With 395 students, its enrollment sits close to the Massachusetts median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,831 scored Massachusetts schools.
Its student body is led by White (65%) and Asian (17%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 395 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Among Acton's elementary schools, it stands alongside Mccarthy-Towne School (431 students): Merriam School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.3:1 vs 12.7:1).
Acton-Boxborough also operates Acton-Boxborough Regional High (1,622 students) and Raymond J Grey Junior High (824 students) alongside Merriam 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 School compares
Merriam School on the metrics families compare, against Massachusetts and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Massachusetts | Massachusetts avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.3:1 | ▼ 0% | 12.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 395 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
395
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 0% above state mean
Top 57% in Massachusetts - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
12.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$19,794
per pupil, district-wide
- below Massachusetts avg of $22,458
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 395 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 64.5%
Asian 16.5%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 7.4%
African American 4.1%
Largest group: White at 64.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.4, Merriam School is more mixed than the Massachusetts school average of 47.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Acton-Boxborough, which includes Merriam School.
$19,794
Per student
-12%
vs Massachusetts
Avg $22,458
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.0%
State 33.3%
Federal 4.8%
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 School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acton-Boxborough Regional High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Raymond J Grey Junior High | Larger | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Blanchard Memorial School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mccarthy-Towne School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
| Luther Conant School | Similar size | No free-lunch data | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merriam School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,622
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 824
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 431
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools in Acton
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Mccarthy-Towne School
Standard public school
431 students 12.7:1 students per teacher
Luther Conant School
Standard public school
410 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
C.T. Douglas Elementary School
Standard public school
408 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Paul P Gates Elementary School
Standard public school
380 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Massachusetts, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~395 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merriam School's federal record.
- Compare Merriam School against another school. Compare schools
- Acton-Boxborough'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 School
How many students attend Merriam School?
Merriam School has 395 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Acton, MA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merriam School?
The student-teacher ratio at Merriam School is 12.3:1, which is 0% higher than the Massachusetts average of 12.3:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merriam School?
The largest demographic group at Merriam School is White at 64.5% of enrollment, in Acton, MA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merriam School?
Merriam School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 School rank among elementary schools in Acton?
By Resource Investment Index, Merriam School ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Acton, MA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Acton on the city page.
Is Merriam School a good school?
Merriam School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Massachusetts 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 Acton-Boxborough?
Besides Merriam School, Acton-Boxborough also operates Acton-Boxborough Regional High (1,622 students), Raymond J Grey Junior High (824 students), and Blanchard Memorial School (469 students). See the Acton-Boxborough 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.