Enrollment
97
Elementary
DISTRICT 91 · STATE 212
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·TURTLE LAKE-MERCER 72·NCES 381850000640
TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
250 3rd Ave W, Turtle Lake, ND 58575 · (701) 448-2365 · McLean County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY43-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL97 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 85% of North Dakota public elementary schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·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 North Dakota public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
9.5:1
10 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 8.4:1 · STATE 11.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
20%
19 students
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 37%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 5 | 5% |
| Kindergarten | 9 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 10 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 16 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 6 | 6% |
| Grade 4 | 12 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 20 | 21% |
| Grade 6 | 19 | 20% |
Student demographics
14%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 10% · STATE 49% · 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
TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL→TURTLE LAKE-MERCER HIGH SCHOOL
Based on grade levels within TURTLE LAKE-MERCER 72. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
ND A+ 2024-25 . % Proficient + AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
40.0%
ND avg 38.7%
Math
45.0%
ND avg 40.0%
What this means: On the ND A+, North Dakota's statewide test, about 40 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 45 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all North Dakota schools, those numbers are about 39 and 40.
Source: ND A+. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL this school | 97 | 19.6% | N/A |
| MILNOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Milnor | 89 | 20.2% | N/A |
| HOPE PAGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Page | 97 | 16.5% | N/A |
| CENTRAL VALLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Buxton | 109 | 20.2% | N/A |
| GRENORA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Grenora | 83 | 19.3% | N/A |
| BERTHOLD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Berthold | 96 | 14.6% | N/A |
Matched among North Dakota 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 TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In North Dakota | In McLean County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 97 | #208 of 283 | #5 of 7 |
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
97
-9 (-8%) vs 2020
-34% since 1990-91, when it was 147
Student : Teacher
9.5:1
was 10.6:1
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 | 97 | 10.2 | 9.5:1 | 20% (19) |
| 2023-24 | 106 | 10.4 | 10.2:1 | 25% (26) |
| 2022-23 | 105 | 10.4 | 10.1:1 | 26% (27) |
| 2020-21 | 106 | 10 | 10.6:1 | 23% (24) |
| 2017-18 | 103 | 9.9 | 10.4:1 | 24% (25) |
| 2015-16 | 115 | 10 | 11.5:1 | 32% (37) |
| 2010-11 | 84 | 10 | 8.4:1 | 39% (33) |
| 2000-01 | 103 | 8 | 12.9:1 | 27% (28) |
| 1990-91 | 147 | 8 | 18.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
Since 2017-18: students down 6% (103 to 97); teachers up 4% (9.9 to 10.2).
About TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
In Turtle Lake, North Dakota, TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a small elementary school. A total of 97 students attend the school, which covers pre-K through 6. The average for elementary schools in North Dakota is about 212 students, so this school is 54% smaller than average.
A total of 2 schools make up TURTLE LAKE-MERCER 72, with 182 students enrolled.
TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls a student body that is 93% White. Beyond that, enrollment is 4% multiracial and 2% Native American. The chance that two students picked at random at TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 14%.
The ratio of students to teachers is 9.5:1, with 10.2 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. For comparison, elementary schools in North Dakota average 11.4:1. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 20%. That rate is below the 29% average among public schools in McLean County.
The allk12 Grade for TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is A. Compared with North Dakota public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 85% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Across McLean County, median household income is about $83,583, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 26% of adults, and the poverty rate is about 5%. The public schools of McLean County number 15 and enroll about 1,906.
TURTLE LAKE-MERCER HIGH SCHOOL is located less than a tenth of a mile from TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
In the federal locale system, TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is coded Rural: Remote, for schools in rural territory far from an urban area.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment down 8%, from 106 to 97. The number of students per teacher fell from 10.6 to 9.5 over 4 years.
The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL covering things like enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
McLean County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
9,823
Census ACS
Median income
$83,583
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
15
1,906 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in TURTLE LAKE-MERCER 72
- TURTLE LAKE-MERCER HIGH SCHOOLHigh · 85 students
Nearby schools
- TURTLE LAKE-MERCER HIGH SCHOOL0.0 mi · 85
- UNDERWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL12.4 mi · 91
- UNDERWOOD HIGH SCHOOL12.4 mi · 98
- WASHBURN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL16.9 mi · 234
- WASHBURN HIGH SCHOOL16.9 mi · 142
- MCCLUSKY-GOODRICH HIGH SCHOOL21.2 mi · 46
Frequently asked questions
About TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLWhat is the total enrollment at TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL enrolls approximately 97 students in grades PK-06.
What age range does TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serve?
TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL serves students from grade PK through grade 06.
How many teachers does TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL have?
TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL employs 10 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 9.5:1.
What is the student diversity at TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?
Student demographics at TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL are roughly 93% White, 1% Black, 4% Two or more.
Is TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL public or private?
TURTLE LAKE-MERCER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is a public K-12 school, overseen by TURTLE LAKE-MERCER 72.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.