Enrollment
713
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harrodsburg, KY
Mercer County Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mercer County Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 210411001042
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer County Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Harrodsburg · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 61.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercer County Elementary School has class sizes near the Kentucky median. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer County Elementary School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Harrodsburg, KY.
School address
District: Mercer County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210411001042 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.5%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer County Elementary School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer County Elementary School
Mercer County Elementary School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, enrolling 713 students.
At 14.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Kentucky median, within a few percentage points of the 15.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 61.5% lands close to the Kentucky typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 713 puts it in the larger third of Kentucky schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,389 scored Kentucky schools.
Against 415 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #76.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 713 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Harrodsburg's public schools, it stands alongside Mercer County Day Treatment (11 students): Mercer County Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (14.9:1 vs 5.5:1).
Mercer County also operates Mercer County Senior High School (748 students) and Kenneth D. King Middle School (581 students) alongside Mercer County Elementary School.
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 Elementary School compares
Mercer County Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Kentucky and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Kentucky | Kentucky avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▼ 2% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.5% | ▲ 4% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 713 | top 15% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
713
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% above the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 49% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,578
per pupil, district-wide
- below Kentucky avg of $13,211
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 713 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 80.4%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
Two or More 7.0%
African American 2.5%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 80.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.0, Mercer County Elementary School is about as mixed as the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercer County, which includes Mercer County Elementary School.
$12,578
Per student
-5%
vs Kentucky
Avg $13,211
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.5%
State 52.8%
Federal 15.8%
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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County Senior High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenneth D. King Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mercer County Intermediate School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mercer Central | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mercer County Day Treatment | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercer County Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 748
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 581
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 570
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 51
- Students per teacher
- 25.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 11
- Students per teacher
- 5.5:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
Similar other schools in Harrodsburg
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Kentucky, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~713 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer County Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mercer County Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Mercer County'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 Elementary School
How many students attend Mercer County Elementary School?
Mercer County Elementary School has 713 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harrodsburg, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer County Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer County Elementary School is 14.9:1, which is 2% lower than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 5% 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 Mercer County Elementary School?
61.5% of students at Mercer County Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer County Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mercer County Elementary School is White at 80.4% of enrollment, in Harrodsburg, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer County Elementary School?
Mercer County Elementary School 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 County Elementary School rank among public schools in Harrodsburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer County Elementary School ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Harrodsburg, KY. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Harrodsburg on the city page.
Is Mercer County Elementary School a good school?
Mercer County Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median. 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?
Besides Mercer County Elementary School, Mercer County also operates Mercer County Senior High School (748 students), Kenneth D. King Middle School (581 students), and Mercer County Intermediate School (570 students). See the Mercer County 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.