Enrollment
100
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mercedes, TX
Mercedes Academic Academy
Federal NCES profile for Mercedes Academic Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 483025006996
👥 S:T ratio 20
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 90
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercedes Academic Academy earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #6 of 6
- high schools in Mercedes · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20:1
- large classes for Texas
- 97.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercedes Academic Academy has class sizes larger than 93% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercedes Academic Academy ranks #6 of 6 high schools in Mercedes, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
5.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
97.9%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+58% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercedes Academic Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercedes Academic Academy
Mercedes Academic Academy is a high-poverty, small high school in Mercedes, Texas, enrolling 100 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20:1 is larger than about 93% of Texas schools and 36% above the 14.7:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need is high: 97.9% of students qualify for free meals, 58% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Texas schools, with 100 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Among 100 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Texas schools statewide, it ranks #77, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 4/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 50 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 61.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 32.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Mercedes Isd also operates Mercedes H S (903 students) and Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle (518 students) alongside Mercedes Academic Academy.
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 Mercedes Academic Academy compares
Mercedes Academic Academy on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 20:1 | ▲ 36% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 97.9% | ▲ 58% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 100 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20:1
Leaner classes than 16% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
100
Bigger than 10% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
97.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 58% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20:1
students per teacher
- 36% above state mean
Top 93% in Texas - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
61.0%
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
$14,238
per pupil, district-wide
- above Texas avg of $13,644
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 50 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 98.0%
White 2.0%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 3.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 3.9, Mercedes Academic Academy is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercedes Isd, which includes Mercedes Academic Academy.
$14,238
Per student
+4%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.0%
State 54.9%
Federal 32.1%
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 Mercedes Academic Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercedes H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Travis El | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ruben Hinojosa El | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Taylor El | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercedes Academic Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 518
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 468
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~100 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercedes Academic Academy's federal record.
- Compare Mercedes Academic Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Mercedes Isd'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 Mercedes Academic Academy
How many students attend Mercedes Academic Academy?
Mercedes Academic Academy has 100 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mercedes, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercedes Academic Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercedes Academic Academy is 20:1, which is 36% higher than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 27% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mercedes Academic Academy?
97.9% of students at Mercedes Academic Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercedes Academic Academy?
The largest demographic group at Mercedes Academic Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 98.0% of enrollment, in Mercedes, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercedes Academic Academy?
Mercedes Academic Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mercedes Academic Academy rank among high schools in Mercedes?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercedes Academic Academy ranks #6 of 6 high schools in Mercedes, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Mercedes on the city page.
Is Mercedes Academic Academy a good school?
Mercedes Academic Academy earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Texas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas 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 Mercedes Isd?
Besides Mercedes Academic Academy, Mercedes Isd also operates Mercedes H S (903 students), Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle (518 students), and Travis El (478 students). See the Mercedes Isd 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.