Enrollment
748
Kentucky · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Harrodsburg, KY
Mercer County Senior High School
Federal NCES profile for Mercer County Senior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 210411002168
👥 S:T ratio 35
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 25
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer County Senior High School earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Kentucky median.
- #1 of 6
- public schools in Harrodsburg · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 45.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercer County Senior High School has class sizes near the Kentucky median. Computed live against every Kentucky school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer County Senior High School ranks #1 of 6 public schools in Harrodsburg, KY.
School address
District: Mercer County · Kentucky
NCES ID 210411002168 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
46.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 15.2:1 Kentucky avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.8%
vs 59.2% Kentucky avg
-23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer County Senior High School compares with Kentucky and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer County Senior High School
Mercer County Senior High School is a large high school in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, enrolling 748 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Kentucky schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 45.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 748 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 337 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #71.
Its student body is predominantly White (83% of enrollment) (diversity index 31/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 374 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
16.8% 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.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Harrodsburg's high schools, it stands alongside Mercer Central (51 students): Mercer County Senior High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.3:1 vs 25.5:1).
Mercer County also operates Mercer County Elementary School (713 students) and Kenneth D. King Middle School (581 students) alongside Mercer County Senior High 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 Senior High School compares
Mercer County Senior High 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 7% | 15.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.8% | ▼ 23% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 748 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
748
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
45.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 23% below the Kentucky average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 68% in Kentucky - lower ratio than 32% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 374 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
84
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 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
White 82.5%
Hispanic or Latino 7.0%
Two or More 5.2%
African American 4.0%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 82.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.0, Mercer County Senior High School is less mixed than the Kentucky school average of 34.5.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercer County, which includes Mercer County Senior High 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 Senior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer County Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Kenneth D. King Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mercer County Intermediate School | Similar size | Higher 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 Senior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- 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 high schools in Harrodsburg
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 Kentucky, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~748 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer County Senior High School's federal record.
- Compare Mercer County Senior High 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 Senior High School
How many students attend Mercer County Senior High School?
Mercer County Senior High School has 748 students enrolled. It is a high school in Harrodsburg, KY.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer County Senior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer County Senior High School is 16.3:1, which is 7% higher than the Kentucky average of 15.2:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mercer County Senior High School?
45.8% of students at Mercer County Senior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Kentucky average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer County Senior High School?
The largest demographic group at Mercer County Senior High School is White at 82.5% of enrollment, in Harrodsburg, KY.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer County Senior High School?
Mercer County Senior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher 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 County Senior High School rank among public schools in Harrodsburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer County Senior High School ranks #1 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 Senior High School a good school?
Mercer County Senior High School earns 50/100 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 Senior High School, Mercer County also operates Mercer County Elementary School (713 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.