Enrollment
397
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Augusta, GA
Merry Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Merry Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 130438001548
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 21
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merry Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Georgia schools.
- #23 of 29
- schools in Augusta · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- small classes for Georgia
- 98.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Merry Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 76% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merry Elementary School ranks #23 of 29 schools in Augusta, GA.
School address
District: Richmond County · Georgia
NCES ID 130438001548 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.0%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merry Elementary School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merry Elementary School
Merry Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Augusta, Georgia, enrolling 397 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 98.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 397 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,314 scored Georgia schools.
Among 344 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Georgia schools statewide, it ranks #254, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 397 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 24.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Augusta's public schools, it stands alongside Davidson Magnet School (747 students): Merry Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.4:1 vs 16.6:1).
Richmond County also operates Academy of Richmond County High School (1,178 students) and Cross Creek High School (1,152 students) alongside Merry Elementary 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 Merry Elementary School compares
Merry Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.4:1 | ▼ 14% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.0% | ▲ 61% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 397 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
397
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% above the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 24% in Georgia - lower ratio than 76% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
46.1%
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
$14,096
per pupil, district-wide
- above Georgia avg of $13,863
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 397 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.5 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richmond County, which includes Merry Elementary School.
$14,096
Per student
+2%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.6%
State 40.0%
Federal 24.4%
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 Merry Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy of Richmond County High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cross Creek High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hephzibah High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Butler High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merry Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,178
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,152
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 1,088
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,041
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 878
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
Similar other schools in Augusta
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Davidson Magnet School
Standard public school
747 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Lake Forest Hills Elementary School
Standard public school
719 students 16.3:1 students per teacher
Belair K-8 School
Standard public school
675 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
Richmond Hill K-8
Standard public school
667 students 9:1 students per teacher
Warren Road Elementary School
Standard public school
665 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
Sue Reynolds Elementary School
Standard public school
652 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Georgia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~397 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merry Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Merry Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Richmond County'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 Merry Elementary School
How many students attend Merry Elementary School?
Merry Elementary School has 397 students enrolled. It is a public school in Augusta, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merry Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Merry Elementary School is 12.4:1, which is 14% lower than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 21% 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 Merry Elementary School?
98.0% of students at Merry Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merry Elementary School?
Merry Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (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 Merry Elementary School rank among schools in Augusta?
By Resource Investment Index, Merry Elementary School ranks #23 of 29 schools in Augusta, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Augusta on the city page.
Is Merry Elementary School a good school?
Merry Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 76% of Georgia 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 Richmond County?
Besides Merry Elementary School, Richmond County also operates Academy of Richmond County High School (1,178 students), Cross Creek High School (1,152 students), and Westside High School (1,088 students). See the Richmond County 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.