Enrollment
355
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 483025012441
Mercedes Early College Academy — Mercedes, TX
Federal NCES profile for Mercedes Early College Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 29
📚 AP courses 5
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 41
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Mercedes Isd · Texas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 14.6:1 Texas avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercedes Early College Academy compares with Texas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Mercedes Early College Academy reports 355 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% above the Texas state mean of 14.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 11% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 77.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 25% above the Texas average and 49% above the national baseline. The school offers 1 Advanced Placement course, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 355 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mercedes Isd spends $15,142 per pupil district-wide, below the Texas average of $17,150 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 13.0% from local sources (property taxes), 54.9% from the state, and 32.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Mercedes Early College Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Texas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.7:1 | ▲ 21% | 14.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.4% | ▲ 25% | 61.9% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 355 | top 31% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
77.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 25% above the Texas average of 61.9%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.7:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 88% in Texas — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,142
per pupil, district-wide
— below Texas avg of $17,150
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 355 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 355 Top 31% in Texas — larger than 69% of 9,061 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 17.7:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 77.4% +25% vs state
NCES ID 483025012441
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 98.0%
White 1.4%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 98.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 355:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.7%
In-school suspensions 15
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercedes Isd, which includes Mercedes Early College Academy.
$15,142
Per student
-12%
vs Texas
Avg $17,150
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 903
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 518
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Enrollment
- 468
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 406
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
Similar high schools in Mercedes
5 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
South Texas Isd Science Academy
Standard public school
840 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
South Texas Isd Health Professions
Standard public school
781 students 14:1 students per teacher
Triumph Public High Schools-Mercedes
Alternative education program
109 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Mercedes Academic Academy
Alternative education program
100 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
South Palm Gardens H S
Alternative education program
72 students 13:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Mercedes Early College Academy
How many students attend Mercedes Early College Academy?
Mercedes Early College Academy has 355 students enrolled. It is a high school in MERCEDES, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercedes Early College Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercedes Early College Academy is 17.7:1, which is 21% higher than the Texas average of 14.6:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mercedes Early College Academy?
77.4% of students at Mercedes Early College Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercedes Early College Academy?
The largest demographic group at Mercedes Early College Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 98.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in MERCEDES, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercedes Early College Academy?
Mercedes Early College Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.