Enrollment
242
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 551119002681
Merrill Elementary — Oshkosh, WI
Federal NCES profile for Merrill Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 29
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: Oshkosh Area School District · Wisconsin
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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.6:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
-43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
71.1%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
+85% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merrill Elementary compares with Wisconsin 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
Merrill Elementary reports 242 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 43% below the Wisconsin state mean of 15.1:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 46% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 71.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 85% above the Wisconsin average and 37% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 242 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Oshkosh Area School District spends $18,688 per pupil district-wide, above the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 39.7% from local sources (property taxes), 49.1% from the state, and 11.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Merrill Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Wisconsin state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.6:1 | ▼ 43% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.1% | ▲ 85% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 242 | top 38% | — | — |
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
71.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 85% above the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.6:1
students per teacher
— 43% below state mean
Top 3% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 97% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
28.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$18,688
per pupil, district-wide
— above Wisconsin avg of $18,610
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 242 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 35 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 242 Top 38% in Wisconsin — larger than 62% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 8.6:1 -43% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 71.1% +85% vs state
NCES ID 551119002681
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 242:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.5%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 35
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Oshkosh Area School District, which includes Merrill Elementary.
$18,688
Per student
+0%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 39.7%
State 49.1%
Federal 11.3%
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
- 1,623
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,266
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Enrollment
- 832
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Enrollment
- 573
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Enrollment
- 522
- Students per teacher
- 35.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Oshkosh
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Oaklawn Elementary
Standard public school
416 students 12.3:1 students per teacher
Read Elementary
Standard public school
383 students 12.9:1 students per teacher
Franklin Elementary
Standard public school
308 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
E Cook Elementary
Standard public school
278 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Elementary
Standard public school
260 students 10.5:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt Elementary
Standard public school
235 students 10:1 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 Merrill Elementary
How many students attend Merrill Elementary?
Merrill Elementary has 242 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Oshkosh, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merrill Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Merrill Elementary is 8.6:1, which is 43% lower than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 46% 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 Merrill Elementary?
71.1% of students at Merrill Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merrill Elementary?
Merrill Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.