Enrollment
1,057
New Hampshire · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 330474000278
Merrimack High School — Merrimack, NH
Federal NCES profile for Merrimack High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 61/100.
👥 Class size 53
📚 AP courses 65
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 52
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 →
The verdict
Merrimack High School earns a C+ Resource Investment Index (61/100), with class sizes near the New Hampshire median.
- C+
- Resource Index · 61/100
- 11.7:1
- students per teacher
- 4.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 1,057
- students enrolled
School address
District: Merrimack School District · New Hampshire
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)
95.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 11.5:1 New Hampshire avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
4.0%
vs 21.5% New Hampshire avg
-81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merrimack High School compares with New Hampshire 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
Merrimack High School reports 1,057 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 95.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 2% above the New Hampshire state mean of 11.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 26% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 4.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 81% below the New Hampshire average and 92% below the national baseline. The school offers 13 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 176 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Merrimack School District spends $21,295 per pupil district-wide, below the New Hampshire average of $33,165 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 71.4% from local sources (property taxes), 22.9% from the state, and 5.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+), calculated from 5 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 Merrimack High School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against New Hampshire state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs New Hampshire | New Hampshire avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.7:1 | ▲ 2% | 11.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 4.0% | ▼ 81% | 21.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,057 | top 97% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
Class size vs. every US school
Students per teacher (lower means more individual attention)
12 Among the smallest classes smaller classes than 80% of 92,598 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25
School size vs. every US school
Total enrollment — where this school sits by size (neither large nor small is 'better')
1,057 larger than 92% of 95,891 US schools
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US schools. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 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
4.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 81% below the New Hampshire average of 21.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.7:1
students per teacher
— 2% above state mean
Top 61% in New Hampshire — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.1%
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
$21,295
per pupil, district-wide
— below New Hampshire avg of $33,165
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 176 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
44
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 1,057 Top 97% in New Hampshire — larger than 3% of 500 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 95.0
Students per teacher 11.7:1 +2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 4.0% -81% vs state
NCES ID 330474000278
Student demographics
White 87.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
Two or More 3.2%
Asian 2.7%
African American 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 87.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 13
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 176:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.1%
In-school suspensions 44
Out-of-school suspensions 31
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merrimack School District, which includes Merrimack High School.
$21,295
Per student
-36%
vs New Hampshire
Avg $33,165
+9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 71.4%
State 22.9%
Federal 5.7%
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
- 533
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 504
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 480
- Students per teacher
- 10.8:1
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
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 Merrimack High School
How many students attend Merrimack High School?
Merrimack High School has 1,057 students enrolled. It is a high school in Merrimack, NH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merrimack High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Merrimack High School is 11.7:1, which is 2% higher than the New Hampshire average of 11.5:1 and 26% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merrimack High School?
4.0% of students at Merrimack High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Hampshire average of 21.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merrimack High School?
The largest demographic group at Merrimack High School is White at 87.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Merrimack, NH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merrimack High School?
Merrimack High School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (C+) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.