Enrollment
526
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 550936000750
Merton Primary — Merton, WI
Federal NCES profile for Merton Primary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 65
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: Merton Community School District · Wisconsin
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)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 15.1:1 Wisconsin avg
+3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
5.9%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-85% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merton Primary compares with Wisconsin 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
Merton Primary reports 526 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 3% above the Wisconsin state mean of 15.1:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 2% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 5.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 85% below the Wisconsin average and 89% below the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 13.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Merton Community School District spends $13,551 per pupil district-wide, below the Wisconsin average of $18,610 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 50.7% from local sources (property taxes), 40.9% from the state, and 8.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 3 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 Merton Primary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Wisconsin state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.6:1 | ▲ 3% | 15.1:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 5.9% | ▼ 85% | 38.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 526 | top 81% | — | — |
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
5.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 85% below the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
— 3% above state mean
Top 77% in Wisconsin — lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
13.9%
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
$13,551
per pupil, district-wide
— below Wisconsin avg of $18,610
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 526 Top 81% in Wisconsin — larger than 19% of 2,205 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 15.6:1 +3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 5.9% -85% vs state
NCES ID 550936000750
Student demographics
White 92.4%
Two or More 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.3%
Asian 1.5%
African American 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 92.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 13.9%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merton Community School District, which includes Merton Primary.
$13,551
Per student
-27%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $18,610
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 50.7%
State 40.9%
Federal 8.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
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 Merton Primary
How many students attend Merton Primary?
Merton Primary has 526 students enrolled. It is a other school in Merton, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merton Primary?
The student-teacher ratio at Merton Primary is 15.6:1, which is 3% higher than the Wisconsin average of 15.1:1 and 2% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merton Primary?
5.9% of students at Merton Primary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merton Primary?
The largest demographic group at Merton Primary is White at 92.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Merton, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merton Primary?
Merton Primary has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.