Enrollment
903
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mercedes, TX
Mercedes H S
Federal NCES profile for Mercedes H S, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483025003388
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercedes H S earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Texas schools.
- #3 of 7
- schools in Mercedes · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.7:1
- students per teacher
- 89.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercedes H S has class sizes near the Texas median. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercedes H S ranks #3 of 7 schools in Mercedes, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
71.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.7%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
+45% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercedes H S compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercedes H S
Mercedes H S is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Mercedes, Texas, enrolling 903 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 89.7% of students qualify for free meals, 45% above the Texas average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 903 puts it in the larger third of Texas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 1,134 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #214.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (98% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 5/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 226 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.7% 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 37 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Mercedes Isd also operates Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle (518 students) and Travis El (478 students) alongside Mercedes H S.
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 H S compares
Mercedes H S on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.7:1 | ▼ 14% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.7% | ▲ 45% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 903 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.7:1
Leaner classes than 69% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
903
Bigger than 89% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 45% 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
12.7:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 31% in Texas - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
59.7%
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 226 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
131
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 14.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 37 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 97.7%
White 1.7%
African American 0.2%
Two or More 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 97.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 4.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 4.5, Mercedes H S is less mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercedes Isd, which includes Mercedes H S.
$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 H S Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Travis El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ruben Hinojosa El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Taylor El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John F Kennedy El | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercedes H S's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- Enrollment
- 399
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
Similar other 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 (~903 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercedes H S's federal record.
- Compare Mercedes H S 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 H S
How many students attend Mercedes H S?
Mercedes H S has 903 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mercedes, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercedes H S?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercedes H S is 12.7:1, which is 14% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 19% 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 Mercedes H S?
89.7% of students at Mercedes H S are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercedes H S?
The largest demographic group at Mercedes H S is Hispanic or Latino at 97.7% of enrollment, in Mercedes, TX.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercedes H S?
Mercedes H S has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Mercedes H S rank among schools in Mercedes?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercedes H S ranks #3 of 7 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 schools in Mercedes on the city page.
Is Mercedes H S a good school?
Mercedes H S earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Texas median. 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 H S, Mercedes Isd also operates Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle (518 students), Travis El (478 students), and Ruben Hinojosa El (468 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.