Enrollment
258
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Princeton, WV
Mercer Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Mercer Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 540084000695
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of West Virginia schools.
- #1 of 5
- elementary schools in Princeton · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for West Virginia
- 258
- students enrolled
Mercer Elementary has class sizes smaller than 73% of West Virginia schools. Computed live against every West Virginia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Elementary ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Princeton, WV.
School address
District: Mercer County Schools · West Virginia
NCES ID 540084000695 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 13.1:1 West Virginia avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer Elementary compares with West Virginia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer Elementary
Mercer Elementary is a mid-sized elementary school in Princeton, West Virginia, enrolling 258 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of West Virginia schools by student-teacher ratio.
With 258 students, its enrollment sits close to the West Virginia median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 643 scored West Virginia schools.
Its student body is led by White (80%) and Two or More (12%) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 172 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mercer County Schools also operates Princeton Senior High School (925 students) and Pikeview High School (629 students) alongside Mercer Elementary.
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 compares
Mercer Elementary on the metrics families compare, against West Virginia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.2:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Enrollment | 258 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
258
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Staffing depth
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 27% in West Virginia - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.3%
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
$12,553
per pupil, district-wide
- below West Virginia avg of $14,844
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 172 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 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 79.5%
Two or More 12.4%
African American 7.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
Largest group: White at 79.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.8, Mercer Elementary is more mixed than the West Virginia school average of 17.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercer County Schools, which includes Mercer Elementary.
$12,553
Per student
-15%
vs West Virginia
Avg $14,844
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.3%
State 54.8%
Federal 19.9%
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 Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton Senior High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pikeview High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bluefield High School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Glenwood School (K-8) | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pikeview Middle School | Larger | No free-lunch data | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercer Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 925
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 629
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 24/100
- Enrollment
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of West Virginia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~258 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Mercer Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Mercer County Schools'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
How many students attend Mercer Elementary?
Mercer Elementary has 258 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Princeton, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer Elementary is 11.2:1, which is 15% lower than the West Virginia average of 13.1:1 and 29% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Mercer Elementary is White at 79.5% of enrollment, in Princeton, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer Elementary?
Mercer Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher 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 rank among elementary schools in Princeton?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Elementary ranks #1 of 5 elementary schools in Princeton, WV. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Princeton on the city page.
Is Mercer Elementary a good school?
Mercer Elementary earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of West Virginia 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 County Schools?
Besides Mercer Elementary, Mercer County Schools also operates Princeton Senior High School (925 students), Pikeview High School (629 students), and Bluefield High School (618 students). See the Mercer County Schools 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.