Enrollment
549
Michigan · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · New Haven, MI
Merritt Academy
Federal NCES profile for Merritt Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 24/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 260028101598Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 65
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merritt Academy earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% of Michigan schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in New Haven · Resource Index
- 24
- Resource Index · Lower
- 8.7:1
- small classes for Michigan
- 52.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Merritt Academy has class sizes smaller than 93% of Michigan schools. Computed live against every Michigan school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Academy ranks #2 of 3 public schools in New Haven, MI.
School address
District: Merritt Academy · Michigan
NCES ID 260028101598 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.7:1
vs 17.5:1 Michigan avg
-50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.3%
vs 54.3% Michigan avg
-4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merritt Academy compares with Michigan and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merritt Academy
Merritt Academy is a higher-need, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in New Haven, Michigan, enrolling 549 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.7:1, Merritt Academy is leaner than roughly 93% of Michigan schools and 50% under the state's 17.5:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.3% lands close to the Michigan typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 549 puts it in the larger third of Michigan schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,375 scored Michigan schools.
Against 594 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #299.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 549 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among New Haven's public schools, it stands alongside Lake Huron Virtual Hybrid High School (170 students): Merritt Academy is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (8.7:1 vs 85:1).
Merritt Academy is a single-school charter district, so Merritt Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Merritt Academy compares
Merritt Academy on the metrics families compare, against Michigan and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Michigan | Michigan avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 8.7:1 | ▼ 50% | 17.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.3% | ▼ 4% | 54.3% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 549 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.7:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
549
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% below the Michigan average of 54.3%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.7:1
students per teacher
- 50% below state mean
Top 7% in Michigan - lower ratio than 93% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
43.0%
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
$13,973
per pupil, district-wide
- above Michigan avg of $13,507
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 549 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.4 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.
Student demographics
White 80.3%
African American 8.6%
Two or More 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 80.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.2, Merritt Academy is less mixed than the Michigan school average of 36.2.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merritt Academy, which includes Merritt Academy.
$13,973
Per student
+3%
vs Michigan
Avg $13,507
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 7.2%
State 70.6%
Federal 22.2%
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.
Similar other schools in New Haven
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Michigan, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~549 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merritt Academy's federal record.
- Compare Merritt Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Merritt Academy'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 Merritt Academy
How many students attend Merritt Academy?
Merritt Academy has 549 students enrolled. It is a public school in New Haven, MI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merritt Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Merritt Academy is 8.7:1, which is 50% lower than the Michigan average of 17.5:1 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 Merritt Academy?
52.3% of students at Merritt Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Michigan average of 54.3%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merritt Academy?
The largest demographic group at Merritt Academy is White at 80.3% of enrollment, in New Haven, MI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merritt Academy?
Merritt Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 24/100 (lower 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 Merritt Academy rank among public schools in New Haven?
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Academy ranks #2 of 3 public schools in New Haven, MI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in New Haven on the city page.
Is Merritt Academy a good school?
Merritt Academy earns 24/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 93% of Michigan 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 Merritt Academy?
None; Merritt Academy is a single-school charter district, and Merritt Academy is its only campus.
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.