Mercedes ISD

Public school district · Hidalgo County · Texas · NCES district ID 4830250

Mercedes ISD spent $14,385 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 88% of the other Texas districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $12,244). Its 10 schools enrolled 4,206 students in 2024-25; 55.4% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,728 per student, up 2.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 89% (Texas: 90.3%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Texas districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Mercedes ISD in enrollment (4,315 to 4,506 students) and Mercedes ISD itself.

Current spending per student, Texas districts closest in size to Mercedes ISD, FY23South Texas ISD $17,956; Edcouch-Elsa ISD $16,208; Mercedes ISD $14,385; Santa Fe ISD $13,289; Alice ISD $12,993; School of Science and Technology $12,599; Sulphur Springs ISD $11,619; Central Texas District $11,385; Kaufman ISD $10,822; Lindale Schools $10,322; State median, 1,000+ students $12,244.7.5k10k12.5k15k17.5k20kSouth Texas ISD$17,956Edcouch-Elsa ISD$16,208Mercedes ISD$14,385Santa Fe ISD$13,289Alice ISD$12,993School of Science and Technolo…$12,599Sulphur Springs ISD$11,619Central Texas District$11,385Kaufman ISD$10,822Lindale Schools$10,322State median, 1,000+ students $12,244
Current spending per student, Texas districts closest in size to Mercedes ISD, FY23South Texas ISD $17,956; Edcouch-Elsa ISD $16,208; Mercedes ISD $14,385; Santa Fe ISD $13,289; Alice ISD $12,993; School of Science and Technology $12,599; Sulphur Springs ISD $11,619; Central Texas District $11,385; Kaufman ISD $10,822; Lindale Schools $10,322; State median, 1,000+ students $12,244.7.5k10k12.5k15k17.5k20kSouth Texas ISD$17,956Edcouch-Elsa ISD$16,208Mercedes ISD$14,385Santa Fe ISD$13,289Alice ISD$12,993School of Science and Technology$12,599Sulphur Springs ISD$11,619Central Texas District$11,385Kaufman ISD$10,822Lindale Schools$10,322State median, 1,000+ students $12,244
Current spending per student, Texas districts closest in size to Mercedes ISD, FY23South Texas ISD $17,956; Edcouch-Elsa ISD $16,208; Mercedes ISD $14,385; Santa Fe ISD $13,289; Alice ISD $12,993; School of Science and Technology $12,599; Sulphur Springs ISD $11,619; Central Texas District $11,385; Kaufman ISD $10,822; Lindale Schools $10,322; State median, 1,000+ students $12,244.7.5k12.5k17.5k20kSouth Texas ISD$17,956Edcouch-Elsa ISD$16,208Mercedes ISD$14,385Santa Fe ISD$13,289Alice ISD$12,993School of Science and Technology$12,599Sulphur Springs ISD$11,619Central Texas District$11,385Kaufman ISD$10,822Lindale Schools$10,322State median, 1,000+ students $12,244
Current spending per student, Texas districts closest in size to Mercedes ISD, FY23South Texas ISD $17,956; Edcouch-Elsa ISD $16,208; Mercedes ISD $14,385; Santa Fe ISD $13,289; Alice ISD $12,993; School of Science and Technology $12,599; Sulphur Springs ISD $11,619; Central Texas District $11,385; Kaufman ISD $10,822; Lindale Schools $10,322; State median, 1,000+ students $12,244.7.5k12.5k17.5k20kSouth Texas ISD$17,956Edcouch-Elsa ISD$16,208Mercedes ISD$14,385Santa Fe ISD$13,289Alice ISD$12,993School of Science and Technology$12,599Sulphur Springs ISD$11,619Central Texas District$11,385Kaufman ISD$10,822Lindale Schools$10,322State median, 1,000+ students $12,244

Where the money came from

$74,278,000 in revenue: 55.4% state, 14.3% local and 30.3% federal. Total spending including $3,485,000 of capital outlay was $70,115,000, or $15,731 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Mercedes ISD revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $41,123,000; Local $10,645,000; Federal $22,510,000; total $74,278,000.
  • State$41,123,000 55%
  • Local$10,645,000 14%
  • Federal$22,510,000 30%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 577 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

4,457 students in 2022-23, 4,393 students in 2023-24, 4,206 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Mercedes ISD enrollment by school year2022-23: 4,457, 2023-24: 4,393, 2024-25: 4,20602k4k6k2022-234,4572023-244,3932024-254,206
Mercedes ISD enrollment by school year2022-23: 4,457, 2023-24: 4,393, 2024-25: 4,20602k4k6k2022-234,4572023-244,3932024-254,206
Mercedes ISD enrollment by school year2022-23: 4,457, 2023-24: 4,393, 2024-25: 4,20602k4k6k2022-234,4572023-244,3932024-254,206
Mercedes ISD enrollment by school year2022-23: 4,457, 2023-24: 4,393, 2024-25: 4,20602k4k6k2022-234,4572023-244,3932024-254,206

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-234,457311.114.3
2023-244,393320.113.7
2024-254,206295.414.2

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$17,818,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,998 per student

Mercedes ISD booked $17,818,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 315 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $56,551 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 80 in 100 Texas districts with a figure (state median $50,660, 1,054 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Texas teacher salary at $58,887 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$11,848,00066.5%
Special education$1,848,00010.4%
Vocational$1,331,0007.5%
Other programs$2,791,00015.7%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,684 in 2018-19, $3,780 in 2019-20, $3,812 in 2020-21, $4,025 in 2021-22, $3,998 in 2022-23.

Mercedes ISD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,684, 2019-20: $3,780, 2020-21: $3,812, 2021-22: $4,025, 2022-23: $3,99802k4k6k2018-19$3,6842019-20$3,7802020-21$3,8122021-22$4,0252022-23$3,998
Mercedes ISD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,684, 2019-20: $3,780, 2020-21: $3,812, 2021-22: $4,025, 2022-23: $3,99802k4k6k2018-19$3,6842019-20$3,7802020-21$3,8122021-22$4,0252022-23$3,998
Mercedes ISD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,684, 2019-20: $3,780, 2020-21: $3,812, 2021-22: $4,025, 2022-23: $3,99802k4k6k2018-19$3,6842019-20$3,7802020-21$3,8122021-22$4,0252022-23$3,998
Mercedes ISD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,684, 2019-20: $3,780, 2020-21: $3,812, 2021-22: $4,025, 2022-23: $3,99802k4k6k2018-19$3,6842019-20$3,7802020-21$3,8122021-22$4,0252022-23$3,998

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Mercedes ISD scored proficient or above: 35-36% in reading and 21-23% in math, against 52% in reading and 42% in math across Texas. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Texas, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtTexasStudents tested
Reading and language arts35-36%52%1,943
Math21-23%42%1,639

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

89% of the 328 students in Mercedes ISD's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90.3% across Texas. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtTexas
Four-year graduation rate89%90.3%
Students in the class328403,301

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

4 elementary schools, 1,751 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Travis Elementary47814.089.1%Schoolwide program
Ruben Hinojosa Elementary46813.282.1%Schoolwide program
Taylor Elementary40612.793.1%Schoolwide program
John F Kennedy Elementary39913.993.7%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

2 middle schools, 908 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle51814.285.1%Schoolwide program
Sgt William G Harrell Middle39012.596.9%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

3 high schools, 1,358 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Mercedes High School90314.891.8%Schoolwide program
Mercedes Early College Academy35516.079.2%Schoolwide program
Mercedes Academic Academy10010.896.0%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 other school, 189 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Mercedes Early Literacy Program18938.799.5%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Mercedes ISD

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Mercedes ISD

  1. Texas districts by spending per studentMercedes ISD ranks 69 of 577 Texas districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($14,385).#69 of 577
  2. Every school district in TexasMercedes ISD is the number 222 by size of 1,212 Texas districts, with 4,457 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#222 of 1,212
  3. Lindale SchoolsThe next larger Texas district: 4,469 students in fall 2022, $10,322 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$10,322
  4. South Texas ISDThe next smaller Texas district: 4,382 students in fall 2022, $17,956 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,956
  5. Compare Mercedes ISD with Lindale SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Mercedes High School, its largest high school903 students in 2024-25, 14.8 per teacher.903
  7. Teacher salary spending across TexasMercedes ISD spent $56,551 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $50,660); spending, not a salary.$56,551
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Mercedes ISD

  1. How many schools and students are in Mercedes ISD?
    10 schools were open in 2024-25 (4 elementary, 2 middle, 3 high, 1 other), enrolling 4,206 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Mercedes ISD spend per student?
    $14,385 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Texas median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $12,244 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,728 per student, up 2.4% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Mercedes ISD's money come from?
    $74,278,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 55.4% state, 14.3% local and 30.3% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Mercedes ISD live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 1,794 of the 5,098 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 35.2%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Mercedes ISD spend on teacher salaries?
    $17,818,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,998 per student. Divided by the 315 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $56,551 per teacher, more than 80 in 100 Texas districts (state median $50,660). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Texas teacher salary at $58,887 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Mercedes ISD do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Mercedes ISD scored proficient or above: 35-36% in reading and 21-23% in math, against 52% in reading and 42% in math across Texas. Texas's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Mercedes ISD?
    89% of the 328 students in Mercedes ISD's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 90.3% across Texas. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Mercedes ISD's NCES district ID?
    4830250. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .