Enrollment
282
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mercer, PA
Mercer Area Shs
Federal NCES profile for Mercer Area Shs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 421512003158
👥 S:T ratio 44
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer Area Shs earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Mercer · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.1:1
- students per teacher
- 87.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercer Area Shs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Area Shs ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Mercer, PA.
School address
District: Mercer Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421512003158 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer Area Shs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer Area Shs
Mercer Area Shs is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Mercer, Pennsylvania, enrolling 282 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 87.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 282 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 383 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #229.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 51.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Mercer's high schools, it stands alongside Mercer County Career Center (8 students): Mercer Area Shs is larger than that campus by headcount.
Mercer Area Sd also operates Mercer Area El Sch (567 students) and Mercer Area Ms (136 students) alongside Mercer Area Shs.
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 Shs compares
Mercer Area Shs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.1:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.7% | ▲ 51% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 282 | top 80% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.1:1
Leaner classes than 56% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
282
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 64% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
51.4%
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 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 95.0%
Two or More 3.5%
Asian 0.7%
African American 0.4%
Hispanic or Latino 0.4%
Largest group: White at 95.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.6, Mercer Area Shs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercer Area Sd, which includes Mercer Area Shs.
$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 Shs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer Area El Sch | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mercer Area Ms | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercer Area Shs'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
- 136
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
Similar high schools in Mercer
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~282 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer Area Shs's federal record.
- Compare Mercer Area Shs 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 Shs
How many students attend Mercer Area Shs?
Mercer Area Shs has 282 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mercer, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer Area Shs?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer Area Shs is 14.1:1, which is 4% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mercer Area Shs?
87.7% of students at Mercer Area Shs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer Area Shs?
The largest demographic group at Mercer Area Shs is White at 95.0% of enrollment, in Mercer, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer Area Shs?
Mercer Area Shs has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Mercer Area Shs rank among public schools in Mercer?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Area Shs ranks #3 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 Shs a good school?
Mercer Area Shs earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania 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 Mercer Area Sd?
Besides Mercer Area Shs, Mercer Area Sd also operates Mercer Area El Sch (567 students) and Mercer Area Ms (136 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.