Enrollment
611
Ohio · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cincinnati, OH
Mercer Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Mercer Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 390473402847
👥 S:T ratio 28
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 76
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio median.
- #13 of 56
- elementary schools in Cincinnati · Resource Index
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18:1
- students per teacher
- 11.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercer Elementary School has class sizes near the Ohio median. Computed live against every Ohio school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Elementary School ranks #13 of 56 elementary schools in Cincinnati, OH.
School address
District: Forest Hills Local · Ohio
NCES ID 390473402847 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18:1
vs 18.2:1 Ohio avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
11.9%
vs 31.6% Ohio avg
-62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer Elementary School compares with Ohio and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer Elementary School
Mercer Elementary School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Cincinnati, Ohio, enrolling 611 students.
At 18:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Ohio median, within a few percentage points of the 18.2:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 11.9% free-meal eligibility runs 62% below the Ohio average.
Enrollment of 611 puts it in the larger third of Ohio schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 3,574 scored Ohio schools.
Against 532 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #217.
Its student body is predominantly White (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 611 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Cincinnati's elementary schools, it stands alongside Idea Greater Cincinnati Inc (1,017 students): Mercer Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (18:1 vs 30.8:1).
Forest Hills Local also operates Anderson High School (1,166 students) and Nagel Middle School (1,087 students) alongside Mercer 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 Elementary School compares
Mercer Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Ohio and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Ohio | Ohio avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18:1 | ▼ 1% | 18.2:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 11.9% | ▼ 62% | 31.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 611 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18:1
Leaner classes than 24% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
611
Bigger than 74% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
11.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% below the Ohio average of 31.6%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 57% in Ohio - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$12,877
per pupil, district-wide
- below Ohio avg of $14,655
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 611 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 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 82.0%
Two or More 7.5%
Hispanic or Latino 6.4%
African American 2.5%
Asian 1.6%
Largest group: White at 82.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.7, Mercer Elementary School is less mixed than the Ohio school average of 35.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forest Hills Local, which includes Mercer Elementary School.
$12,877
Per student
-12%
vs Ohio
Avg $14,655
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.6%
State 25.1%
Federal 12.3%
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 Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Nagel Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Turpin High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Sherwood Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilson Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercer Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,166
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,087
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 991
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 689
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 635
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
Similar elementary schools in Cincinnati
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Idea Greater Cincinnati Inc
Standard public school
1,017 students 30.8:1 students per teacher
Edwin H Greene Intermediate Middle School
Standard public school
996 students 20.8:1 students per teacher
Madeira Elementary School
Standard public school
867 students 24.8:1 students per teacher
Taylor Elementary School
Standard public school
797 students 17:1 students per teacher
Struble Elementary School
Standard public school
772 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Pleasant Run Elementary School
Standard public school
759 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Ohio, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~611 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Mercer Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Forest Hills Local'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 Elementary School
How many students attend Mercer Elementary School?
Mercer Elementary School has 611 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cincinnati, OH.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer Elementary School is 18:1, which is 1% lower than the Ohio average of 18.2:1 and 15% higher 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 Elementary School?
11.9% of students at Mercer Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Ohio average of 31.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Mercer Elementary School is White at 82.0% of enrollment, in Cincinnati, OH.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer Elementary School?
Mercer Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Cincinnati?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Elementary School ranks #13 of 56 elementary schools in Cincinnati, OH. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Cincinnati on the city page.
Is Mercer Elementary School a good school?
Mercer Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Ohio 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 Forest Hills Local?
Besides Mercer Elementary School, Forest Hills Local also operates Anderson High School (1,166 students), Nagel Middle School (1,087 students), and Turpin High School (991 students). See the Forest Hills Local 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.