Enrollment
760
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 450207000411
Merriwether Elementary — North Augusta, SC
Federal NCES profile for Merriwether Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 59
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: Edgefield 01 · South Carolina
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)
49.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
-30% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merriwether Elementary compares with South Carolina 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
Merriwether Elementary reports 760 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 49.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the South Carolina state mean of 14.3:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 30% below the South Carolina average and 0% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 380 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 16.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Edgefield 01 spends $21,700 per pupil district-wide, above the South Carolina average of $17,182 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.6% from local sources (property taxes), 47.9% from the state, and 17.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Merriwether Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against South Carolina state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.7:1 | ▲ 10% | 14.3:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.0% | ▼ 30% | 74.0% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 760 | top 73% | — | — |
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
52.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 30% below the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 72% in South Carolina — lower ratio than 28% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$21,700
per pupil, district-wide
— above South Carolina avg of $17,182
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 380 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
27
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 760 Top 73% in South Carolina — larger than 27% of 1,215 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 49.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.0% -30% vs state
NCES ID 450207000411
Student demographics
White 67.5%
African American 17.2%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: White at 67.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 380:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 16.4%
In-school suspensions 27
Out-of-school suspensions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Edgefield 01, which includes Merriwether Elementary.
$21,700
Per student
+26%
vs South Carolina
Avg $17,182
+11%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.6%
State 47.9%
Federal 17.6%
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
- 720
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 365
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 276
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
Similar other schools in North Augusta
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Merriwether Elementary
How many students attend Merriwether Elementary?
Merriwether Elementary has 760 students enrolled. It is a other school in North Augusta, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merriwether Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Merriwether Elementary is 15.7:1, which is 10% higher than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merriwether Elementary?
52.0% of students at Merriwether Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merriwether Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Merriwether Elementary is White at 67.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in North Augusta, SC.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merriwether Elementary?
Merriwether Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.