Enrollment
1,219
New York · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Merrick, NY
Sanford H Calhoun High School
Federal NCES profile for Sanford H Calhoun High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 69/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 361902001721
👥 S:T ratio 60
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 52
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sanford H Calhoun High School earns 69/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of New York schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New York.
- #2 of 7
- public schools in Merrick · Resource Index
- 69
- Resource Index · Higher
- 10:1
- small classes for New York
- 13.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Sanford H Calhoun High School has class sizes smaller than 70% of New York schools. Computed live against every New York school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sanford H Calhoun High School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Merrick, NY.
School address
NCES ID 361902001721 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
122.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10:1
vs 11.8:1 New York avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
13.1%
vs 56.2% New York avg
-77% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sanford H Calhoun High School compares with New York and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sanford H Calhoun High School
Sanford H Calhoun High School is a lower-poverty, large high school in Merrick, New York, enrolling 1,219 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10:1 puts it in the smaller third of New York schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 13.1% free-meal eligibility runs 77% below the New York average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in New York, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,219 students.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 96% of the 4,801 New York schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 165 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New York schools statewide, it ranks #7, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (15%) (diversity index 46/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 29 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 174 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District also operates Wellington C Mepham High School (1,211 students) and John F Kennedy High School (1,089 students) alongside Sanford H Calhoun High 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 Sanford H Calhoun High School compares
Sanford H Calhoun High School on the metrics families compare, against New York and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New York | New York avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10:1 | ▼ 15% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 13.1% | ▼ 77% | 56.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,219 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10:1
Leaner classes than 89% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,219
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
13.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 77% below the New York average of 56.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 30% in New York - lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
19.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$30,426
per pupil, district-wide
- above New York avg of $26,410
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors7.0 FTE
Per 174 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
45
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 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 71.2%
Hispanic or Latino 15.1%
Asian 7.6%
African American 3.9%
Two or More 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 71.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.3, Sanford H Calhoun High School is about as mixed as the New York school average of 45.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 29
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, which includes Sanford H Calhoun High School.
$30,426
Per student
+15%
vs New York
Avg $26,410
+83%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 71.6%
State 25.0%
Federal 3.5%
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 Sanford H Calhoun High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellington C Mepham High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John F Kennedy High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grand Avenue Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Merrick Avenue Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sanford H Calhoun High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,211
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
- Enrollment
- 1,089
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 916
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 61/100
- Enrollment
- 848
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of New York, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,219 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sanford H Calhoun High School's federal record.
- Compare Sanford H Calhoun High School against another school. Compare schools
- Bellmore-Merrick Central High 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 Sanford H Calhoun High School
How many students attend Sanford H Calhoun High School?
Sanford H Calhoun High School has 1,219 students enrolled. It is a high school in Merrick, NY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sanford H Calhoun High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sanford H Calhoun High School is 10:1, which is 15% lower than the New York average of 11.8:1 and 36% 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 Sanford H Calhoun High School?
13.1% of students at Sanford H Calhoun High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New York average of 56.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sanford H Calhoun High School?
The largest demographic group at Sanford H Calhoun High School is White at 71.2% of enrollment, in Merrick, NY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sanford H Calhoun High School?
Sanford H Calhoun High School has a Resource Investment Index of 69/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sanford H Calhoun High School rank among public schools in Merrick?
By Resource Investment Index, Sanford H Calhoun High School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Merrick, NY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Merrick on the city page.
Is Sanford H Calhoun High School a good school?
Sanford H Calhoun High School earns 69/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 70% of New York schools. It is also one of the largest schools in New York. 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 Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District?
Besides Sanford H Calhoun High School, Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District also operates Wellington C Mepham High School (1,211 students), John F Kennedy High School (1,089 students), and Grand Avenue Middle School (916 students). See the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District district page for the complete list.
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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.