Enrollment
282
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cresskill, NJ
Merritt Memorial
Federal NCES profile for Merritt Memorial, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 66/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 340360000328
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merritt Memorial earns 66/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of New Jersey schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Cresskill · Resource Index
- 66
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.7:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 1.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Merritt Memorial has class sizes smaller than 78% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Memorial ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Cresskill, NJ.
School address
District: Cresskill Public School District · New Jersey
NCES ID 340360000328 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
1.1%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
-96% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merritt Memorial compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merritt Memorial
Merritt Memorial is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Cresskill, New Jersey, enrolling 282 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 9.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 1.1% free-meal eligibility runs 96% below the New Jersey average.
Enrollment of 282 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,501 scored New Jersey schools.
Against 396 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #63.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Asian (30%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Cresskill Public School District also operates Edward H. Bryan (555 students) and Cresskill High School (489 students) alongside Merritt Memorial.
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 Memorial compares
Merritt Memorial on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.7:1 | ▼ 18% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 1.1% | ▼ 96% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 282 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
282
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
1.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 96% below the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 22% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$23,348
per pupil, district-wide
- below New Jersey avg of $24,984
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.4 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 55.0%
Asian 29.8%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 4.6%
African American 3.9%
Largest group: White at 55.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.1, Merritt Memorial is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cresskill Public School District, which includes Merritt Memorial.
$23,348
Per student
-7%
vs New Jersey
Avg $24,984
+41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.0%
State 23.0%
Federal 2.0%
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 Memorial Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edward H. Bryan | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cresskill High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cresskill Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merritt Memorial's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 555
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 489
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~282 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merritt Memorial's federal record.
- Compare Merritt Memorial against another school. Compare schools
- Cresskill Public 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 Memorial
How many students attend Merritt Memorial?
Merritt Memorial has 282 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cresskill, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merritt Memorial?
The student-teacher ratio at Merritt Memorial is 9.7:1, which is 18% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 38% 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 Memorial?
1.1% of students at Merritt Memorial are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merritt Memorial?
The largest demographic group at Merritt Memorial is White at 55.0% of enrollment, in Cresskill, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merritt Memorial?
Merritt Memorial has a Resource Investment Index of 66/100 (higher 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 Memorial rank among public schools in Cresskill?
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Memorial ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Cresskill, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Cresskill on the city page.
Is Merritt Memorial a good school?
Merritt Memorial earns 66/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of New Jersey 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 Cresskill Public School District?
Besides Merritt Memorial, Cresskill Public School District also operates Edward H. Bryan (555 students), Cresskill High School (489 students), and Cresskill Middle School (421 students). See the Cresskill Public 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.