TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a tight-knit elementary-level community in Turtle Lake, North Dakota, operated by TURTLE LAKE-MERCER 72. The school teaches 97 students in grades pre-K through 6. By comparison, North Dakota's public schools average about 212 students each, so TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL sits 54% leaner than that benchmark.

TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one of 2 schools operated by TURTLE LAKE-MERCER 72, a district that hosts 182 students overall.

On demographics, TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL logs that nearly all students (93%) are White. The remainder consists of 4% multiracial, 2% Native American.

Looking at school resources, TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL shows 10 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 9.5:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 11.4:1 average. Roughly 20% of students at TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is noticeably below McLean County's rate of about 29%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for McLean County put median household income runs about $83,583, roughly 26% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. Across McLean County's 15 public schools (combined enrollment of about 1,906 students), TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: TURTLE LAKE-MERCER HIGH SCHOOL, around 0.0 miles off.

TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL operates from a rural location.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 6%: 103 students in 2018 compared to 97 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL community share and discuss pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Members of the school community can share what they know.