Enrollment
290
Indiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Highland, IN
Mildred Merkley Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mildred Merkley Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 180456000767
👥 S:T ratio 23
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mildred Merkley Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana schools.
- #1 of 3
- elementary schools in Highland · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.3:1
- large classes for Indiana
- 44.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Mildred Merkley Elementary School has class sizes larger than 88% of Indiana schools. Computed live against every Indiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mildred Merkley Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Highland, IN.
School address
District: School Town of Highland · Indiana
NCES ID 180456000767 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 15.9:1 Indiana avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.2%
vs 49.5% Indiana avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mildred Merkley Elementary School compares with Indiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mildred Merkley Elementary School
Mildred Merkley Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Highland, Indiana, enrolling 290 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.3:1 is larger than about 88% of Indiana schools and 21% above the 15.9:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 44.2% lands close to the Indiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 290 puts it in the smaller third of Indiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,862 scored Indiana schools.
Against 353 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #231.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (45%) and White (39%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 64/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 290 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Highland's elementary schools, it stands alongside Southridge Elementary School (439 students): Mildred Merkley Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.3:1 vs 21.9:1).
School Town of Highland also operates Highland High School (971 students) and Highland Middle School (774 students) alongside Mildred Merkley 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 Mildred Merkley Elementary School compares
Mildred Merkley Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Indiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Indiana | Indiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.3:1 | ▲ 21% | 15.9:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.2% | ▼ 11% | 49.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 290 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
290
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% below the Indiana average of 49.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 88% in Indiana - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$10,643
per pupil, district-wide
- below Indiana avg of $12,079
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 290 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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
Hispanic or Latino 44.5%
White 38.6%
African American 9.0%
Two or More 4.5%
Asian 3.4%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 44.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.2, Mildred Merkley Elementary School is more mixed than the Indiana school average of 39.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for School Town of Highland, which includes Mildred Merkley Elementary School.
$10,643
Per student
-12%
vs Indiana
Avg $12,079
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.5%
State 62.8%
Federal 10.7%
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 Mildred Merkley Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Highland Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Southridge Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Judith Morton Johnston Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Allen J Warren Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mildred Merkley Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 971
- Students per teacher
- 17:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 774
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 383
- Students per teacher
- 21.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 308
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar elementary schools in Highland
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Indiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~290 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mildred Merkley Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mildred Merkley Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- School Town of Highland'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 Mildred Merkley Elementary School
How many students attend Mildred Merkley Elementary School?
Mildred Merkley Elementary School has 290 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Highland, IN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mildred Merkley Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mildred Merkley Elementary School is 19.3:1, which is 21% higher than the Indiana average of 15.9:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mildred Merkley Elementary School?
44.2% of students at Mildred Merkley Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Indiana average of 49.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mildred Merkley Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mildred Merkley Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 44.5% of enrollment, in Highland, IN. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mildred Merkley Elementary School?
Mildred Merkley Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Mildred Merkley Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Highland?
By Resource Investment Index, Mildred Merkley Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 elementary schools in Highland, IN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Highland on the city page.
Is Mildred Merkley Elementary School a good school?
Mildred Merkley Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Indiana schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Indiana 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 School Town of Highland?
Besides Mildred Merkley Elementary School, School Town of Highland also operates Highland High School (971 students), Highland Middle School (774 students), and Southridge Elementary School (439 students). See the School Town of Highland 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.