Enrollment
354
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mountain Iron, MN
Merritt Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Merritt Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 270000101610
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merritt Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota median.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Mountain Iron · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.1:1
- students per teacher
- 40.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Merritt Elementary has class sizes near the Minnesota median. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Mountain Iron, MN.
School address
District: Mountain Iron-Buhl School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 270000101610 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.3%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merritt Elementary compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merritt Elementary
Merritt Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, enrolling 354 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Minnesota schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 40.3% lands close to the Minnesota typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 354 students, its enrollment sits close to the Minnesota median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 359 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #150.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 354 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 28.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district, Mountain Iron-Buhl School District, also runs Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary (283 students).
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 Elementary compares
Merritt Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.1:1 | ▲ 2% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.3% | ▼ 6% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 354 | top 41% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
354
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% below the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 63% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 37% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.2%
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
$15,159
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 354 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 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 86.7%
Two or More 8.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.1%
African American 0.3%
Largest group: White at 86.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.0, Merritt Elementary is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mountain Iron-Buhl School District, which includes Merritt Elementary.
$15,159
Per student
-1%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.7%
State 68.8%
Federal 12.5%
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 Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merritt Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 283
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~354 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merritt Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Merritt Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mountain Iron-Buhl 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 Merritt Elementary
How many students attend Merritt Elementary?
Merritt Elementary has 354 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mountain Iron, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merritt Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Merritt Elementary is 16.1:1, which is 2% higher than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merritt Elementary?
40.3% of students at Merritt Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merritt Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Merritt Elementary is White at 86.7% of enrollment, in Mountain Iron, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merritt Elementary?
Merritt Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical 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 Elementary rank among public schools in Mountain Iron?
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Elementary ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Mountain Iron, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Mountain Iron on the city page.
Is Merritt Elementary a good school?
Merritt Elementary earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Minnesota 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 Mountain Iron-Buhl School District?
Besides Merritt Elementary, Mountain Iron-Buhl School District also operates Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary (283 students). See the Mountain Iron-Buhl 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.