Enrollment
232
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mercersburg, PA
Mercersburg El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Mercersburg El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 422274006282
👥 S:T ratio 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 7
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mercersburg El Sch earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #2 of 3
- elementary schools in Mercersburg · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.9:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Mercersburg El Sch has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mercersburg El Sch ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Mercersburg, PA.
School address
District: Tuscarora Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 422274006282 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mercersburg El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mercersburg El Sch
Mercersburg El Sch is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, enrolling 232 students.
At 12.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 232 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 260 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #216, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 464 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Among Mercersburg's elementary schools, it stands alongside Montgomery El Sch (212 students): Mercersburg El Sch is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.9:1 vs 14.1:1).
Tuscarora Sd also operates James Buchanan Hs (721 students) and James Buchanan Ms (535 students) alongside Mercersburg El Sch.
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 Mercersburg El Sch compares
Mercersburg El Sch on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.9:1 | ▼ 5% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 232 | top 87% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.9:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
232
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.9:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 42% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 58% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.7%
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
$16,679
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 88.4%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 88.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.4, Mercersburg El Sch is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Tuscarora Sd, which includes Mercersburg El Sch.
$16,679
Per student
-7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.1%
State 37.5%
Federal 10.5%
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 Mercersburg El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Buchanan Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James Buchanan Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| St Thomas El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Montgomery El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mountain View El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mercersburg El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 721
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 535
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 20/100
- Enrollment
- 297
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 212
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 185
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar elementary schools in Mercersburg
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~232 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mercersburg El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Mercersburg El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Tuscarora Sd'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 Mercersburg El Sch
How many students attend Mercersburg El Sch?
Mercersburg El Sch has 232 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mercersburg, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mercersburg El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Mercersburg El Sch is 12.9:1, which is 5% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 18% 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 Mercersburg El Sch?
100.0% of students at Mercersburg El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mercersburg El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Mercersburg El Sch is White at 88.4% of enrollment, in Mercersburg, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mercersburg El Sch?
Mercersburg El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical 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 Mercersburg El Sch rank among elementary schools in Mercersburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Mercersburg El Sch ranks #2 of 3 elementary schools in Mercersburg, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Mercersburg on the city page.
Is Mercersburg El Sch a good school?
Mercersburg El Sch earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. 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 Tuscarora Sd?
Besides Mercersburg El Sch, Tuscarora Sd also operates James Buchanan Hs (721 students), James Buchanan Ms (535 students), and St Thomas El Sch (297 students). See the Tuscarora Sd 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.