Enrollment
200
New Jersey · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hamilton, NJ
Mercer High School
Federal NCES profile for Mercer High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 348020006013
👥 S:T ratio 76
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 93
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of New Jersey schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Hamilton · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 5.9:1
- small classes for New Jersey
- 42.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercer High School has class sizes smaller than 98% of New Jersey schools. Computed live against every New Jersey school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Hamilton, NJ.
School address
NCES ID 348020006013 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
5.9:1
vs 11.8:1 New Jersey avg
-50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.6%
vs 29.6% New Jersey avg
+44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer High School compares with New Jersey and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer High School
Mercer High School is a small high school in Hamilton, New Jersey, enrolling 200 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 5.9:1, Mercer High School is leaner than roughly 98% of New Jersey schools and 50% under the state's 11.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 42.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 200 puts it in the smaller third of New Jersey schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,501 New Jersey schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 101 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need New Jersey schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (39%) and Hispanic or Latino (33%) (diversity index 70/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 33 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Hamilton's high schools, it stands alongside Regional Day School (1 students): Mercer High School is larger than that campus by headcount.
Mercer County Special Services School District also operates Mercer Elementary School (141 students) and Joseph F. Cappello School (97 students) alongside Mercer 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 High School compares
Mercer High School on the metrics families compare, against New Jersey and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs New Jersey | New Jersey avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 5.9:1 | ▼ 50% | 11.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.6% | ▲ 44% | 29.6% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 200 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
5.9:1
Leaner classes than 98% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
200
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% above the New Jersey average of 29.6%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
5.9:1
students per teacher
- 50% below state mean
Top 2% in New Jersey - lower ratio than 98% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 33 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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
African American 39.0%
Hispanic or Latino 32.5%
White 19.5%
Asian 6.5%
Two or More 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 39.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.0, Mercer High School is more mixed than the New Jersey school average of 51.2.
Programs
AP program Not offered
How Mercer High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercer Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Joseph F. Cappello School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Regional Day School | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Mercer High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 141
- Students per teacher
- 5.6:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
- Enrollment
- 97
- Students per teacher
- 6.1:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
- Enrollment
- 1
- Students per teacher
- -
Similar high schools in Hamilton
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 New Jersey, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~200 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer High School's federal record.
- Compare Mercer High School against another school. Compare schools
- Mercer County Special Services School District'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 High School
How many students attend Mercer High School?
Mercer High School has 200 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hamilton, NJ.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer High School is 5.9:1, which is 50% lower than the New Jersey average of 11.8:1 and 62% 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 High School?
42.6% of students at Mercer High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the New Jersey average of 29.6%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer High School?
The largest demographic group at Mercer High School is African American at 39.0% of enrollment, in Hamilton, NJ. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer High School?
Mercer High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mercer High School rank among public schools in Hamilton?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Hamilton, NJ. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Hamilton on the city page.
Is Mercer High School a good school?
Mercer High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 98% of New Jersey 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 Special Services School District?
Besides Mercer High School, Mercer County Special Services School District also operates Mercer Elementary School (141 students), Joseph F. Cappello School (97 students), and Regional Day School (1 students). See the Mercer County Special Services School District district page for the complete list.
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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.