Enrollment
512
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Garden City, GA
Mercer Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Mercer Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 20/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 130102000387
👥 S:T ratio 11
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercer Middle School earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Georgia schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Garden City · Resource Index
- 20
- Resource Index · Lower
- 22.3:1
- large classes for Georgia
- 85.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercer Middle School has class sizes larger than 99% of Georgia schools. Computed live against every Georgia school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Middle School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Garden City, GA.
School address
District: Savannah-Chatham County · Georgia
NCES ID 130102000387 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22.3:1
vs 14.4:1 Georgia avg
+55% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.1%
vs 60.7% Georgia avg
+40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercer Middle School compares with Georgia and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercer Middle School
Mercer Middle School is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Garden City, Georgia, enrolling 512 students.
Class loads run heavy: 22.3:1 is larger than about 99% of Georgia schools and 55% above the 14.4:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 85.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 512 puts it in the smaller third of Georgia schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 99% of the 2,314 Georgia schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 577 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Georgia schools statewide, it ranks #570, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (54%) and Hispanic or Latino (35%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 512 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 224 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 512 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 14 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Savannah-Chatham County also operates Godley Station School (1,585 students) and Groves High School (1,469 students) alongside Mercer Middle 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 Middle School compares
Mercer Middle School on the metrics families compare, against Georgia and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 22.3:1 | ▲ 55% | 14.4:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.1% | ▲ 40% | 60.7% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 512 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
22.3:1
Leaner classes than 10% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
512
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% above the Georgia average of 60.7%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22.3:1
students per teacher
- 55% above state mean
Top 99% in Georgia - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
47.3%
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
$14,986
per pupil, district-wide
- above Georgia avg of $13,863
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 512 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
84
in-school suspensions + 140 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 43.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 14 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
African American 53.7%
Hispanic or Latino 35.4%
White 6.3%
Two or More 3.5%
Asian 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 53.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.1, Mercer Middle School is more mixed than the Georgia school average of 50.0.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Savannah-Chatham County, which includes Mercer Middle School.
$14,986
Per student
+8%
vs Georgia
Avg $13,863
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.2%
State 24.5%
Federal 18.2%
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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godley Station School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Groves High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Jenkins High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pulaski Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| New Hampstead High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercer Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,585
- Students per teacher
- 20.3:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,469
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 1,265
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 1,147
- Students per teacher
- 27.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,123
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar middle schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Georgia, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~512 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~22.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercer Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Mercer Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Savannah-Chatham 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 Middle School
How many students attend Mercer Middle School?
Mercer Middle School has 512 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Garden City, GA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercer Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercer Middle School is 22.3:1, which is 55% higher than the Georgia average of 14.4:1 and 42% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mercer Middle School?
85.1% of students at Mercer Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Georgia average of 60.7%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercer Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Mercer Middle School is African American at 53.7% of enrollment, in Garden City, GA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer Middle School?
Mercer Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 20/100 (lower 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 Middle School rank among public schools in Garden City?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercer Middle School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Garden City, GA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Garden City on the city page.
Is Mercer Middle School a good school?
Mercer Middle School earns 20/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Georgia 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 Savannah-Chatham County?
Besides Mercer Middle School, Savannah-Chatham County also operates Godley Station School (1,585 students), Groves High School (1,469 students), and Jenkins High School (1,265 students). See the Savannah-Chatham 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.