Enrollment
66
Illinois · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Joy, IL
Mercer County Elc
Federal NCES profile for Mercer County Elc, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 12/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 170139506874
👥 S:T ratio 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer County Elc earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Illinois schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Illinois.
- 12
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22:1
- large classes for Illinois
- 66
- students enrolled
Mercer County Elc has class sizes larger than 97% of Illinois schools. Computed live against every Illinois school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Mercer County School District 404 · Illinois
NCES ID 170139506874 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
3.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22:1
vs 14:1 Illinois avg
+57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer County Elc compares with Illinois and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer County Elc
Mercer County Elc is a small combined-grade school in Joy, Illinois, enrolling 66 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22:1 is larger than about 97% of Illinois schools and 57% above the 14:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 98% of Illinois schools, with 66 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 3,845 Illinois schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Mercer County School District 404 also operates Mercer County High School (411 students) and Apollo Elem School (362 students) alongside Mercer County Elc.
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 County Elc compares
Mercer County Elc on the metrics families compare, against Illinois and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Illinois | Illinois avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22:1 | ▲ 57% | 14:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 66 | top 98% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
66
Bigger than 7% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
22:1
students per teacher
- 57% above state mean
Top 97% in Illinois - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$13,924
per pupil, district-wide
- below Illinois avg of $17,042
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
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 90.9%
African American 4.5%
Asian 3.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
Largest group: White at 90.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.1, Mercer County Elc is less mixed than the Illinois school average of 38.9.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercer County School District 404, which includes Mercer County Elc.
$13,924
Per student
-18%
vs Illinois
Avg $17,042
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.6%
State 38.0%
Federal 8.3%
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 County Elc Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Apollo Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mercer County Jr High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
| New Boston Elem School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercer County Elc's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 411
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 362
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 165
- Students per teacher
- 8.3:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Illinois, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~66 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer County Elc's federal record.
- Compare Mercer County Elc against another school. Compare schools
- Mercer County School District 404'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 County Elc
How many students attend Mercer County Elc?
Mercer County Elc has 66 students enrolled. It is a public school in Joy, IL.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer County Elc?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer County Elc is 22:1, which is 57% higher than the Illinois average of 14:1 and 40% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer County Elc?
The largest demographic group at Mercer County Elc is White at 90.9% of enrollment, in Joy, IL.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer County Elc?
Mercer County Elc has a Resource Investment Index of 12/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
Is Mercer County Elc a good school?
Mercer County Elc earns 12/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Illinois schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Illinois. 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 County School District 404?
Besides Mercer County Elc, Mercer County School District 404 also operates Mercer County High School (411 students), Apollo Elem School (362 students), and Mercer County Jr High School (270 students). See the Mercer County School District 404 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.