Enrollment
136
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mercer, PA
Mercer Area Ms
Federal NCES profile for Mercer Area Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 421512000792
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 73
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer Area Ms earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Pennsylvania.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Mercer · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.1:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercer Area Ms has class sizes larger than 77% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Area Ms ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Mercer, PA.
School address
District: Mercer Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421512000792 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer Area Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer Area Ms
Mercer Area Ms is a high-poverty, small middle school in Mercer, Pennsylvania, enrolling 136 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of Pennsylvania schools, with 136 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 64 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #31.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 136 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Mercer Area Sd also operates Mercer Area El Sch (567 students) and Mercer Area Shs (282 students) alongside Mercer Area Ms.
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 Mercer Area Ms compares
Mercer Area Ms on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.1:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 136 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.1:1
Leaner classes than 46% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
136
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 77% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
42.6%
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
$15,905
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 136 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.6 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 91.2%
Two or More 3.7%
African American 2.9%
Asian 1.5%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
Largest group: White at 91.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.6, Mercer Area Ms is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercer Area Sd, which includes Mercer Area Ms.
$15,905
Per student
-11%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.2%
State 48.2%
Federal 9.6%
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 Mercer Area Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer Area El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mercer Area Shs | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercer Area Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 567
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 282
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~136 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer Area Ms's federal record.
- Compare Mercer Area Ms against another school. Compare schools
- Mercer Area Sd'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 Mercer Area Ms
How many students attend Mercer Area Ms?
Mercer Area Ms has 136 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mercer, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer Area Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer Area Ms is 15.1:1, which is 11% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mercer Area Ms?
100.0% of students at Mercer Area Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer Area Ms?
The largest demographic group at Mercer Area Ms is White at 91.2% of enrollment, in Mercer, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer Area Ms?
Mercer Area Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mercer Area Ms rank among public schools in Mercer?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Area Ms ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Mercer, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Mercer on the city page.
Is Mercer Area Ms a good school?
Mercer Area Ms earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Pennsylvania. 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 Mercer Area Sd?
Besides Mercer Area Ms, Mercer Area Sd also operates Mercer Area El Sch (567 students) and Mercer Area Shs (282 students). See the Mercer Area Sd 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.