Enrollment
634
Florida · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Panama City, FL
Merritt Brown Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Merritt Brown Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 120009002589
👥 S:T ratio 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merritt Brown Middle School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median.
- #3 of 4
- middle schools in Panama City · Resource Index
- 27
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.8:1
- students per teacher
- 51.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Merritt Brown Middle School has class sizes near the Florida median. Computed live against every Florida school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Brown Middle School ranks #3 of 4 middle schools in Panama City, FL.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 17.8:1 Florida avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.5%
vs 52.0% Florida avg
-1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merritt Brown Middle School compares with Florida and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merritt Brown Middle School
Merritt Brown Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Panama City, Florida, enrolling 634 students.
At 15.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Florida median, within a few percentage points of the 17.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 51.5% lands close to the Florida typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 634 students, its enrollment sits close to the Florida median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 3,996 scored Florida schools.
Among 912 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Florida schools statewide, it ranks #781, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (10%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 634 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 48.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 355 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 634 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 20 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students) and Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students) alongside Merritt Brown Middle School.
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 Brown Middle School compares
Merritt Brown Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Florida and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Florida | Florida avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.8:1 | ▼ 11% | 17.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.5% | ▼ 1% | 52.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 634 | top 46% | - | - |
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.
634
Bigger than 76% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% below the Florida average of 52.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 42% in Florida - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
48.7%
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
$10,446
per pupil, district-wide
- below Florida avg of $11,167
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 634 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
212
in-school suspensions + 143 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 33.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 56.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 20 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 72.9%
Hispanic or Latino 10.3%
African American 9.0%
Two or More 6.5%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 72.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.5, Merritt Brown Middle School is less mixed than the Florida school average of 52.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bay, which includes Merritt Brown Middle School.
$10,446
Per student
-6%
vs Florida
Avg $11,167
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.0%
State 33.0%
Federal 21.0%
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 Merritt Brown Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Crawford Mosley High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Deane Bozeman School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J.R. Arnold High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Rutherford High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bay High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merritt Brown Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,864
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 1,690
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 1,629
- Students per teacher
- 24.7:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 1,394
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 19/100
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 26.3:1
- Resource Index
- 11/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Florida, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~634 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merritt Brown Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Merritt Brown Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Bay'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 Brown Middle School
How many students attend Merritt Brown Middle School?
Merritt Brown Middle School has 634 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Panama City, FL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merritt Brown Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Merritt Brown Middle School is 15.8:1, which is 11% lower than the Florida average of 17.8:1 and 1% higher 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 Brown Middle School?
51.5% of students at Merritt Brown Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Florida average of 52.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merritt Brown Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Merritt Brown Middle School is White at 72.9% of enrollment, in Panama City, FL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merritt Brown Middle School?
Merritt Brown Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (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 Brown Middle School rank among middle schools in Panama City?
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Brown Middle School ranks #3 of 4 middle schools in Panama City, FL. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in Panama City on the city page.
Is Merritt Brown Middle School a good school?
Merritt Brown Middle School earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Florida median. 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 Bay?
Besides Merritt Brown Middle School, Bay also operates A. Crawford Mosley High School (1,864 students), Deane Bozeman School (1,690 students), and J.R. Arnold High School (1,629 students). See the Bay 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.