Enrollment
258
West Virginia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 540084000695
Mercer Elementary — Princeton, WV
Federal NCES profile for Mercer Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 49/100.
👥 Class size 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 66
📋 Attendance 12
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Mercer County Schools · West Virginia
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 13.7:1 West Virginia avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer Elementary compares with West Virginia and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Mercer Elementary reports 258 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% below the West Virginia state mean of 13.7:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 21% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 172 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mercer County Schools spends $14,274 per pupil district-wide, below the West Virginia average of $16,253 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.3% from local sources (property taxes), 54.8% from the state, and 19.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Mercer Elementary compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against West Virginia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs West Virginia | West Virginia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.5:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.7:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 258 | top 39% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Staffing depth
12.5:1
students per teacher
— 9% below state mean
Top 35% in West Virginia — lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
35.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,274
per pupil, district-wide
— below West Virginia avg of $16,253
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints 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
Enrollment 258 Top 39% in West Virginia — larger than 61% of 648 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 12.5:1 -9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 540084000695
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 172:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.3%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mercer County Schools, which includes Mercer Elementary.
$14,274
Per student
-12%
vs West Virginia
Avg $16,253
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 925
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 629
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Enrollment
- 618
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Enrollment
- 614
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Enrollment
- 502
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Princeton
4 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Glenwood School (K-8)
Standard public school
614 students 14.3:1 students per teacher
Princeton Primary School
Standard public school
448 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Melrose Elementary School
Standard public school
239 students 18:1 students per teacher
Straley Elementary School
Standard public school
172 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Mercer Elementary
How many students attend Mercer Elementary?
Mercer Elementary has 258 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in PRINCETON, WV.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer Elementary is 12.5:1, which is 9% lower than the West Virginia average of 13.7:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. 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%. The school serves a diverse student body in PRINCETON, WV.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer Elementary?
Mercer Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.