Mildred Merkley Elementary School

As a small elementary school in Highland, Indiana, Mildred Merkley Elementary School educates 290 students from grades K through 5, overseen by School Town of Highland. Compared to the state average of about 436 students per school, that is 33% smaller than typical.

Within School Town of Highland, which oversees 6 schools and 3,165 students, Mildred Merkley Elementary School is one campus in the system.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Mildred Merkley Elementary School records that 44% of students identify as Hispanic, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 39% White, 9% Black, 4% multiracial, 3% Asian. That is noticeably more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 21%.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Mildred Merkley Elementary School has 14 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 21.5:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 15.5:1, putting Mildred Merkley Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. An estimated 48% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Mildred Merkley Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 41.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 43.9%.

In the area at large, Lake County reports that the typical household earns roughly $71,493 per year, 26% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. In all, Lake County runs 121 public schools (combined enrollment of about 74,661 students), of which Mildred Merkley Elementary School is one.

Highland Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.2 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Mildred Merkley Elementary School. On composite proficiency, Mildred Merkley Elementary School comes 6th of 8 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 46.0%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Mildred Merkley Elementary School has contracted 3%, going from 299 students in 2018 to 290 in 2025. The White share of enrollment decreased from 58% to 39% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 18.7:1 in 2018 to 21.5:1 today.

Inside the community feed, members of the Mildred Merkley Elementary School community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.