Enrollment
290
Elementary
DISTRICT 355 · STATE 436
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SCHOOL TOWN OF HIGHLAND·NCES 180456000767
Mildred Merkley Elementary School
9340 Fifth St, Highland, IN 46322 · (219) 922-5640 · Lake County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL290 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 51% of Indiana public elementary schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-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 Indiana public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
21.5:1
14 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 22.5:1 · STATE 15.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
48%
139 students
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 50%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 49 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 48 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 50 | 17% |
| Grade 3 | 48 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 49 | 17% |
| Grade 5 | 46 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (49) is 7% larger than its 5th grade class (46).
Student demographics
64%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 57% · US 70%
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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within School Town of Highland. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at Mildred Merkley Elementary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
ILEARN 2024-25 . % At or Above ProficiencyEnglish Language Arts
44.1%
IN avg 39.2%
Math
51.0%
IN avg 41.1%
What this means: On the ILEARN, Indiana's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 51 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Indiana schools, those numbers are about 39 and 41.
Source: ILEARN. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
43.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
41.6%
based on IN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 42% typical for Indiana 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 Indiana'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 Mildred Merkley Elementary School
Mildred Merkley Elementary School's state test result (43.9% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mildred Merkley Elementary School this school | 290 | 47.9% | 43.9% |
| Allen J Warren Elementary School Highland | 308 | 48.7% | 44.6% |
| Judith Morton Johnston Elementary Highland | 383 | 46.2% | 41.3% |
| Parkview Elementary School Valparaiso | 213 | 54.5% | 62.9% |
| Webster Elementary School Plymouth | 310 | 48.1% | 54.8% |
| Green Meadows Intermediate Elem Frankfort | 395 | 52.2% | 40.4% |
Matched among Indiana elementary 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 Mildred Merkley Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Indiana | In Lake County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 43.9% | #438 of 983 | #24 of 61 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 51.0% | #393 of 986 | #23 of 61 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 44.1% | #354 of 986 | #21 of 61 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 290 | #860 of 1,079 | #61 of 70 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 21.5:1 | #976 of 991 | #65 of 69 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 64.2% | #194 of 996 | #10 of 69 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 47.9% | #651 of 1,058 | #43 of 70 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -3.0% | #524 of 597 | #32 of 39 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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 2024-25Enrollment
290
+13 (+5%) vs 2020
-12% since 1990-91, when it was 328
Student : Teacher
21.5:1
was 17.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 290 | 13.5 | 21.5:1 | 48% (139) |
| 2023-24 | 281 | 14.5 | 19.4:1 | 47% (131) |
| 2022-23 | 265 | 15 | 17.7:1 | 47% (124) |
| 2020-21 | 277 | 16 | 17.3:1 | 49% (136) |
| 2017-18 | 299 | 16 | 18.7:1 | 46% (138) |
| 2015-16 | 311 | 16 | 19.4:1 | 40% (123) |
| 2010-11 | 383 | 15 | 25.5:1 | 35% (134) |
| 2000-01 | 368 | 16 | 23.0:1 | 11% (39) |
| 1990-91 | 328 | 19 | 17.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mildred Merkley Elementary School.
About Mildred Merkley Elementary School
Mildred Merkley Elementary School is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as an elementary school in Highland, Indiana. The school serves kindergarten through 5. Enrollment is 290 students. By comparison, elementary schools in Indiana enroll about 436 students on average.
School Town of Highland (6 schools, 3,165 students) runs Mildred Merkley Elementary School.
About 44% of students at Mildred Merkley Elementary School are Hispanic, the largest single group. The school is also 39% White, 9% Black, 4% multiracial, and 3% Asian. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 21%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 64, compared with 70 nationally.
Mildred Merkley Elementary School has 13.5 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff and a student-to-teacher ratio of 21.5:1. By comparison, the average for elementary schools in Indiana is 15.5:1. At Mildred Merkley Elementary School, 48% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. The figure for public schools in Lake County is close, at 47%.
Mildred Merkley Elementary School earns a B- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 51% of Indiana public elementary schools.
On BeatsExpectations, Mildred Merkley Elementary School is 2.3 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Indiana schools.
American Community Survey estimates for Lake County show that median household income comes to about $71,493, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 26% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. Lake County counts 121 public schools with about 74,661 students.
Measured in a straight line, Highland Middle School is about 0.2 miles from Mildred Merkley Elementary School. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. Its average proficiency rate of 43.9% is below the 46.0% average for nearby schools.
Mildred Merkley Elementary School falls in the Suburb: Large locale category, used for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
By 2024-25, enrollment had risen to 290, from 277 in 2020-21. The school's ratio increased from 17.3:1 to 21.5:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
The discussion board for Mildred Merkley Elementary School is open to topics like pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Lake County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
500,379
Census ACS
Median income
$71,493
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
121
74,661 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in School Town of Highland
- Highland High SchoolHigh · 971 students
- Highland Middle SchoolMiddle · 774 students
- Southridge Elementary SchoolElementary · 439 students
- Judith Morton Johnston ElementaryElementary · 383 students
- Allen J Warren Elementary SchoolElementary · 308 students
Other schools in Highland
- Highland High SchoolHigh · 971 students
- Highland Middle SchoolMiddle · 774 students
- Southridge Elementary SchoolElementary · 439 students
- Judith Morton Johnston ElementaryElementary · 383 students
- Allen J Warren Elementary SchoolElementary · 308 students
Nearby schools
- Highland Middle School0.2 mi · 774
- Highland High School0.3 mi · 971
- Allen J Warren Elementary School0.6 mi · 308
- Southridge Elementary School0.8 mi · 439
- Beiriger Elementary School1.2 mi · 426
- Griffth Jr/Sr High School1.3 mi · 1,112
Frequently asked questions
About Mildred Merkley Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Mildred Merkley Elementary School?
Mildred Merkley Elementary School enrolls approximately 290 students in grades KG-05.
What grades does Mildred Merkley Elementary School serve?
Mildred Merkley Elementary School serves grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Mildred Merkley Elementary School have?
Mildred Merkley Elementary School employs 14 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 21.5:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Mildred Merkley Elementary School?
At Mildred Merkley Elementary School, the student body is approximately 39% White, 44% Hispanic, 9% Black, 3% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Mildred Merkley Elementary School public or private?
Mildred Merkley Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by School Town of Highland.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.