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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERCER COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 404·NCES 170139500018

Mercer County High School

1500 S College Ave, Aledo, IL 61231 · (309) 582-2223 · Mercer County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL411 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 48% of Illinois public high schools
  • BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Illinois public high schools

Enrollment
411
High
DISTRICT 255 · STATE 834
Student : Teacher
13.1:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.4:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
42%
171 students
DISTRICT 52% · STATE 56%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 910626%
Grade 1010325%
Grade 119724%
Grade 1210526%
Student demographics
13%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 17% · STATE 69% · US 70%
White
38293%
DISTRICT 91% · STATE 45% · US 43%
Hispanic
92%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 29% · US 30%
Black
41%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 16% · US 15%
Asian
20%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 6% · US 6%
Two+
133%
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
10%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
19848%
Female
21352%

School pathway

Feeds from
Mercer County Jr High School06–08
Based on grade levels within Mercer County School District 404. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
38.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.5%
based on IL schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.5pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 38% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 47% typical for Illinois schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Illinois's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like Mercer County High School

Mercer County High School's state test result (38.0% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Mercer County High School this school41141.6%38.0%
Pana Sr High School
Pana
40442.1%38.6%
Southwestern High School
Piasa
37042.2%35.5%
Newton Comm High School
Newton
41240.0%41.6%
Carlinville High School
Carlinville
35340.8%38.0%
Pinckneyville Comm High School
Pinckneyville
40343.4%33.3%
Matched among Illinois high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Mercer County High School ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn Illinois
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
38.0%#236 of 573
Enrollment
ranked largest first
411#369 of 708
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
13.1:1#167 of 528
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
13.4%#448 of 537
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
41.6%#382 of 578
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+3.8%#140 of 191
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
411
+21 (+5%) vs 2020
+9% since 2010-11, when it was 378
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2541131.513.1:142% (171)
2023-2440130.913.0:140% (161)
2022-234042913.9:140% (160)
2020-21390N/AN/AN/A
2017-1839627.814.2:140% (157)
2015-163952913.6:141% (160)
2010-113783311.4:128% (106)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mercer County High School.

Since 2017-18: students up 4% (396 to 411); teachers up 13% (27.8 to 31.5).

About Mercer County High School

Mercer County High School is a low-enrollment high school that serves part of Aledo, Illinois. Students in grades 9 through 12 attend the school, which enrolls 411 students. For comparison, high schools in Illinois average about 834 students.

Mercer County School District 404 has a total of 5 schools and 1,274 students, Mercer County High School among them.

White students are the large majority at Mercer County High School, with 93% of enrollment. The remaining shares are 3% multiracial and 2% Hispanic. The White share in Mercer County as a whole is similar, at about 94%. Mercer County High School has a diversity index of 13%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.

A ratio of 13.1:1 comes from the school's 31.5 full-time-equivalent teachers. For comparison, high schools in Illinois average 13.8:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 42% in 2024-25. That is close to the 44% average for public schools in Mercer County.

The allk12 Grade for Mercer County High School is B-. Compared with Illinois public high schools, the school scored higher than 48% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.

The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Mercer County High School is -9.5 points: 38.0% actual, 47.5% predicted.

According to the American Community Survey, in Mercer County, median household income is about $74,182, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. A total of 8 public schools operate in Mercer County, serving about 1,941 students.

The school nearest to Mercer County High School is Apollo Elementary School, at a distance of about 0.6 miles. Within five miles of Mercer County High School, there are 2 other public schools. The average proficiency across nearby scored schools is 42.2%; Mercer County High School's is 38.0%, ranking 7th of 8.

Locale data from NCES put Mercer County High School in rural territory some distance from an urban area (Rural: Distant).

From 2020-21 to 2024-25, Mercer County High School went from 390 students to 411.

Parents and students can post about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs at Mercer County High School. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.

Mercer County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
15,495
Census ACS
Median income
$74,182
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
8
1,941 students

Quick facts

School name
Mercer County High School
District
Mercer County School District 404
Address
1500 S College Ave, Aledo, IL 61231
Phone
(309) 582-2223
County
Mercer County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
411
Teachers (FTE)
32
Student–teacher ratio
13.1:1
Free and reduced lunch
171 (42%)
Locale
42-Rural: Distant
NCES ID
170139500018
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Mercer County School District 404
Other schools in Aledo
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Mercer County High School
What is the total enrollment at Mercer County High School?
Mercer County High School enrolls approximately 411 students in grades 09-12.
Is Mercer County High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Mercer County High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Mercer County High School have?
Mercer County High School employs 32 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.1:1.
What is the student diversity at Mercer County High School?
Student demographics at Mercer County High School are roughly 93% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is Mercer County High School in?
Mercer County High School is part of Mercer County School District 404.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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