Enrollment
466
New Hampshire · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 330476000506
Merrimack Valley Middle School — Penacook, NH
Federal NCES profile for Merrimack Valley Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 57
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 4
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: Merrimack Valley 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)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 11.5:1 New Hampshire avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.4%
vs 21.5% New Hampshire avg
-0% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merrimack Valley Middle 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 Valley Middle School reports 466 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 44.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 10.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% below the New Hampshire state mean of 11.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 33% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 21.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 0% below the New Hampshire average and 59% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 155 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 38.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Merrimack Valley School District spends $20,788 per pupil district-wide, below the New Hampshire average of $33,165 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.9% from local sources (property taxes), 31.6% from the state, and 10.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Merrimack Valley Middle 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 | 10.7:1 | ▼ 7% | 11.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.4% | ▼ 0% | 21.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 466 | top 82% | — | — |
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
21.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 0% 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
10.7:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 41% in New Hampshire — lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
38.2%
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
$20,788
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 155 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
77
in-school suspensions + 48 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 26.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 466 Top 82% in New Hampshire — larger than 18% of 500 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 44.0
Students per teacher 10.7:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 21.4% -0% vs state
NCES ID 330476000506
Student demographics
White 89.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
Two or More 3.2%
Asian 2.1%
African American 1.7%
Largest group: White at 89.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 155:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 38.2%
In-school suspensions 77
Out-of-school suspensions 48
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merrimack Valley School District, which includes Merrimack Valley Middle School.
$20,788
Per student
-37%
vs New Hampshire
Avg $33,165
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 57.9%
State 31.6%
Federal 10.4%
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
- 744
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 325
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Enrollment
- 240
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Enrollment
- 88
- Students per teacher
- 12:1
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 Valley Middle School
How many students attend Merrimack Valley Middle School?
Merrimack Valley Middle School has 466 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Penacook, NH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merrimack Valley Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Merrimack Valley Middle School is 10.7:1, which is 7% lower than the New Hampshire average of 11.5:1 and 33% 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 Merrimack Valley Middle School?
21.4% of students at Merrimack Valley Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Hampshire average of 21.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merrimack Valley Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Merrimack Valley Middle School is White at 89.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in Penacook, NH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merrimack Valley Middle School?
Merrimack Valley Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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.