Enrollment
512
Georgia · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 130102000387
Mercer Middle School — Garden City, GA
Federal NCES profile for Mercer Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 25/100.
👥 Class size 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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: Savannah-Chatham County · Georgia
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
17.5:1
vs 14.5:1 Georgia avg
+21% 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
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 Middle School reports 512 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 23.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% above the Georgia state mean of 14.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 10% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 85.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 40% above the Georgia average and 64% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 512 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Savannah-Chatham County spends $17,225 per pupil district-wide, above the Georgia average of $15,679 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 57.2% from local sources (property taxes), 24.5% from the state, and 18.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F), 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 Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Georgia state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Georgia | Georgia avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.5:1 | ▲ 21% | 14.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.1% | ▲ 40% | 60.7% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 512 | top 33% | — | — |
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.
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
17.5:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 90% in Georgia — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
47.3%
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
$17,225
per pupil, district-wide
— above Georgia avg of $15,679
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
Enrollment 512 Top 33% in Georgia — larger than 67% of 2,315 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 23.0
Students per teacher 17.5:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 85.1% +40% vs state
NCES ID 130102000387
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 512:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.3%
In-school suspensions 84
Out-of-school suspensions 140
Expulsions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Savannah-Chatham County, which includes Mercer Middle School.
$17,225
Per student
+10%
vs Georgia
Avg $15,679
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,585
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,469
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Enrollment
- 1,265
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,147
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,123
- Students per teacher
- 18.4:1
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 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 17.5:1, which is 21% higher than the Georgia average of 14.5:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Garden City, GA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercer Middle School?
Mercer Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 25/100 (F) 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.