Enrollment
756
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Merrill, WI
Merrill High
Federal NCES profile for Merrill High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 550921001099
👥 S:T ratio 37
📚 AP courses 55
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merrill High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Wisconsin schools.
- #4 of 7
- public schools in Merrill · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.8:1
- large classes for Wisconsin
- 29.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Merrill High has class sizes larger than 79% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merrill High ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Merrill, WI.
School address
District: Merrill Area School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 550921001099 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.4%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merrill High compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merrill High
Merrill High is a large high school in Merrill, Wisconsin, enrolling 756 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 29.4% lands close to the Wisconsin typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Wisconsin, bigger than 91% of state schools at 756 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Among 279 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Wisconsin schools statewide, it ranks #241, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 11 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 252 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 161 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 756 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Merrill's high schools, it stands alongside Merrill Adult Diploma Academy (31 students): Merrill High is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (15.8:1 vs 31:1).
Merrill Area School District also operates Bridges Virtual Academy (674 students) and Prairie River Middle (507 students) alongside Merrill High.
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 High compares
Merrill High on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.8:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.4% | ▼ 24% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 756 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
756
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 24% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 79% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
32.9%
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
$13,642
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 252 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
92
in-school suspensions + 69 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 89.8%
Two or More 4.5%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 89.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.0, Merrill High is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 11
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merrill Area School District, which includes Merrill High.
$13,642
Per student
-9%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 48.5%
Federal 12.2%
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 High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bridges Virtual Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Prairie River Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Kate Goodrich Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Washington Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pine River School for Young Learners (Prsyl) | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merrill High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 674
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 507
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 337
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 257
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 124
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar high schools in Merrill
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~756 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merrill High's federal record.
- Compare Merrill High against another school. Compare schools
- Merrill 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 High
How many students attend Merrill High?
Merrill High has 756 students enrolled. It is a high school in Merrill, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merrill High?
The student-teacher ratio at Merrill High is 15.8:1, which is 10% higher than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merrill High?
29.4% of students at Merrill High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merrill High?
The largest demographic group at Merrill High is White at 89.8% of enrollment, in Merrill, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merrill High?
Merrill High has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Merrill High rank among public schools in Merrill?
By Resource Investment Index, Merrill High ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Merrill, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Merrill on the city page.
Is Merrill High a good school?
Merrill High earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 Merrill Area School District?
Besides Merrill High, Merrill Area School District also operates Bridges Virtual Academy (674 students), Prairie River Middle (507 students), and Kate Goodrich Elementary (337 students). See the Merrill 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.