Enrollment
242
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Oshkosh, WI
Merrill Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Merrill Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 551119002681
👥 S:T ratio 66
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merrill Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Wisconsin schools.
- #9 of 10
- elementary schools in Oshkosh · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.6:1
- small classes for Wisconsin
- 71.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Merrill Elementary has class sizes smaller than 95% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merrill Elementary ranks #9 of 10 elementary schools in Oshkosh, WI.
School address
District: Oshkosh Area School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 551119002681 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.6:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-40% 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
What stands out at Merrill Elementary
Merrill Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, enrolling 242 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.6:1, Merrill Elementary is leaner than roughly 95% of Wisconsin schools and 40% under the state's 14.4:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 71.1% of students qualify for free meals, 85% above the Wisconsin average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
With 242 students, its enrollment sits close to the Wisconsin median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Against 104 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #46.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 242 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Oshkosh's elementary schools, it stands alongside Oaklawn Elementary (416 students): Merrill Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.6:1 vs 13:1).
Oshkosh Area School District also operates West High (1,623 students) and North High (1,266 students) alongside Merrill 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 Merrill Elementary compares
Merrill Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.6:1 | ▼ 40% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 71.1% | ▲ 85% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 242 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.6:1
Leaner classes than 94% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
242
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
71.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 85% above the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.6:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 5% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
28.5%
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
$14,459
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat 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
- 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.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Oshkosh Area School District, which includes Merrill Elementary.
$14,459
Per student
-3%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Merrill Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| West High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| North High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Merrill Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Webster Stanley Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ready 4 Learning School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merrill Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,623
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 1,266
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 832
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 573
- Students per teacher
- 22:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 522
- Students per teacher
- 32.6:1
- Resource Index
- 10/100
Similar elementary schools in Oshkosh
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Oaklawn Elementary
Standard public school
416 students 13:1 students per teacher
Read Elementary
Standard public school
383 students 13.2:1 students per teacher
Franklin Elementary
Standard public school
308 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
E Cook Elementary
Standard public school
278 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Jefferson Elementary
Standard public school
260 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
Roosevelt Elementary
Standard public school
235 students 9.8:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~242 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merrill Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Merrill Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Oshkosh Area 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 Merrill Elementary
How many students attend Merrill Elementary?
Merrill Elementary has 242 students enrolled. It is an 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 40% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 45% 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 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 (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 Merrill Elementary rank among elementary schools in Oshkosh?
By Resource Investment Index, Merrill Elementary ranks #9 of 10 elementary schools in Oshkosh, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Oshkosh on the city page.
Is Merrill Elementary a good school?
Merrill Elementary earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Wisconsin 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 Oshkosh Area School District?
Besides Merrill Elementary, Oshkosh Area School District also operates West High (1,623 students), North High (1,266 students), and Merrill Middle (832 students). See the Oshkosh Area 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.