Enrollment
507
Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Merrill, WI
Prairie River Middle
Federal NCES profile for Prairie River Middle, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 550921001506
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 49
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Prairie River Middle earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Wisconsin schools.
- #3 of 3
- elementary schools in Merrill · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.5:1
- small classes for Wisconsin
- 35.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Prairie River Middle has class sizes smaller than 74% of Wisconsin schools. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie River Middle ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Merrill, WI.
School address
District: Merrill Area School District · Wisconsin
NCES ID 550921001506 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.5:1
vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.1%
vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Prairie River Middle compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians
What stands out at Prairie River Middle
Prairie River Middle is a mid-sized elementary school in Merrill, Wisconsin, enrolling 507 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 35.1% lands close to the Wisconsin typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 507 puts it in the larger third of Wisconsin schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,202 scored Wisconsin schools.
Among 437 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Wisconsin schools statewide, it ranks #380, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 254 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 40.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 116 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 507 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Merrill's elementary schools, it stands alongside Kate Goodrich Elementary (337 students): Prairie River Middle is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (11.5:1 vs 10.5:1).
Merrill Area School District also operates Merrill High (756 students) and Bridges Virtual Academy (674 students) alongside Prairie River Middle.
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 Prairie River Middle compares
Prairie River Middle on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Wisconsin | Wisconsin avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.5:1 | ▼ 20% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.1% | ▼ 9% | 38.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 507 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.5:1
Leaner classes than 79% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
507
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
11.5:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 26% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
40.0%
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
$13,642
per pupil, district-wide
- below Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 254 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
71
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.9 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 87.8%
Two or More 5.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
African American 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: White at 87.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.4, Prairie River Middle is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Merrill Area School District, which includes Prairie River Middle.
$13,642
Per student
-9%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 39.3%
State 48.5%
Federal 12.2%
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 Prairie River Middle Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrill High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bridges Virtual Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Kate Goodrich Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Washington Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pine River School for Young Learners (Prsyl) | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Prairie River Middle's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 756
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 674
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 337
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 257
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 124
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
Similar elementary schools in Merrill
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 Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~507 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Prairie River Middle's federal record.
- Compare Prairie River Middle against another school. Compare schools
- Merrill Area 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 Prairie River Middle
How many students attend Prairie River Middle?
Prairie River Middle has 507 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Merrill, WI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Prairie River Middle?
The student-teacher ratio at Prairie River Middle is 11.5:1, which is 20% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 27% 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 Prairie River Middle?
35.1% of students at Prairie River Middle are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Prairie River Middle?
The largest demographic group at Prairie River Middle is White at 87.8% of enrollment, in Merrill, WI.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Prairie River Middle?
Prairie River Middle has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Prairie River Middle rank among elementary schools in Merrill?
By Resource Investment Index, Prairie River Middle ranks #3 of 3 elementary schools in Merrill, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Merrill on the city page.
Is Prairie River Middle a good school?
Prairie River Middle earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Wisconsin 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 Merrill Area School District?
Besides Prairie River Middle, Merrill Area School District also operates Merrill High (756 students), Bridges Virtual Academy (674 students), and Kate Goodrich Elementary (337 students). See the Merrill Area 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.