Enrollment
355
High
DISTRICT 340 · STATE 796
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERCEDES ISD·NCES 483025012441
Mercedes Early College Academy
950 W 6TH ST, MERCEDES, TX 78570 · (956) 514-5180 · Hidalgo County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IALTERNATIVE EDUCATION SCHOOL355 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
Schools serving specialized populations are not graded, because state test results are not a fair comparison for them. How grades work
Student : Teacher
16.0:1
22 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.9:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
80%
284 students
DISTRICT 91% · STATE 65%
Community
0
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 84 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 92 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 94 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 85 | 24% |
Student demographics
4%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 4% · STATE 63% · 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
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
59.0%
own-school result
Mathematics
30.0%
own-school result
State assessment results for this school reflect a specialized student population. The figures above are the school's own reported scores; they are not directly comparable to state averages or to general-enrollment schools, so the usual state-average comparison line is suppressed here.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 3.0% | 56.0% | 25.0% | 16.0% |
| Mathematics | 7.0% | 23.0% | 47.0% | 23.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 59.0% | 30.0% |
| 2024-25 | 68.0% | 30.0% |
| 2023-24 | 66.0% | 21.0% |
| 2022-23 | 63.0% | 43.0% |
| 2021-22 | 40.0% | 30.0% |
| 2020-21 | 49.0% | 0.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Not computed for this schoolBeatsExpectations is not computed for specialized-population schools (schools for the deaf or blind, therapeutic and behavioral-health placements, juvenile-justice and alternative-education settings, and similar). State ELA/Math proficiency rates are not a comparable metric for these populations, so a demographically-adjusted residual against general-enrollment peers would be misleading. About the methodology →
Where Mercedes Early College Academy ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Hidalgo County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 355 | #1,077 of 2,107 | #52 of 84 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.0:1 | #909 of 1,344 | #44 of 56 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 3.9% | #1,282 of 1,346 | #32 of 56 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 80.0% | #391 of 1,522 | #50 of 65 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -11.3% | #223 of 557 | #8 of 31 |
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 2024-25Enrollment
355
-61 (-15%) vs 2020
+44% since 2010-11, when it was 247
Student : Teacher
16.0:1
was 20.8:1
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 | 355 | 22.2 | 16.0:1 | 80% (284) |
| 2023-24 | 349 | 22.1 | 15.8:1 | 82% (285) |
| 2022-23 | 354 | 20.4 | 17.4:1 | 82% (290) |
| 2020-21 | 416 | 20 | 20.8:1 | 81% (338) |
| 2017-18 | 400 | 19.3 | 20.7:1 | 78% (312) |
| 2015-16 | 328 | 19 | 17.3:1 | 60% (198) |
| 2010-11 | 247 | 16 | 15.4:1 | 0% (0) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Mercedes Early College Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (400 to 355); teachers up 15% (19.3 to 22.2).
About Mercedes Early College Academy
Mercedes Early College Academy is a low-enrollment high school in MERCEDES ISD, located in MERCEDES, Texas. The school's 355 students are in grades 9 through 12. Enrollment is 55% lower than the average for high schools in Texas, which is about 796.
MERCEDES ISD is responsible for 11 schools, Mercedes Early College Academy included, with 4,207 students in all.
Mercedes Early College Academy enrolls a student body that is 98% Hispanic. The chance that two students picked at random at Mercedes Early College Academy belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 4%.
Teachers at the school number 22.2 full-time equivalents, and the ratio is 16.0:1. Among high schools in Texas, the typical ratio is 15.1:1. The school's lunch program data list 80% of students as eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
Across Hidalgo County, median household income is about $54,338, about 21% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 23%. Mercedes Early College Academy is among the 364 public schools in Hidalgo County.
The nearest public school is Mercedes Early Literacy Program, at less than a tenth of a mile. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles.
The school's locale code, Suburb: Large, means it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
The number of students declined from 416 to 355 over 4 years. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio fell from 20.8:1 to 16.0:1.
To ask about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater, start a discussion on this page. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Hidalgo County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
891,977
Census ACS
Median income
$54,338
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
21%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
23%
Below federal line
Schools in county
364
212,859 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in MERCEDES ISD
- Mercedes High SchoolHigh · 903 students
- Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle SchoolMiddle · 518 students
- Travis Elementary SchoolElementary · 478 students
- Ruben Hinojosa Elementary SchoolElementary · 468 students
- Taylor Elementary SchoolElementary · 406 students
- John F Kennedy Elementary SchoolElementary · 399 students
Other schools in MERCEDES
- Mercedes High SchoolHigh · 903 students
- South Texas ISD Science AcademyHigh · 840 students
- South Texas ISD Health ProfessionsHigh · 781 students
- Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle SchoolMiddle · 518 students
- Travis Elementary SchoolElementary · 478 students
- Ruben Hinojosa Elementary SchoolElementary · 468 students
Nearby schools
- Mercedes Early Literacy Program0.0 mi · 189
- John F Kennedy Elementary School0.5 mi · 399
- Triumph Public High Schools-Mercedes0.6 mi · 109
- Travis Elementary School0.8 mi · 478
- Mercedes High School0.9 mi · 903
- Taylor Elementary School1.0 mi · 406
Frequently asked questions
About Mercedes Early College AcademyHow many students attend Mercedes Early College Academy?
Mercedes Early College Academy enrolls approximately 355 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Mercedes Early College Academy serve?
Mercedes Early College Academy serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many teachers does Mercedes Early College Academy have?
Mercedes Early College Academy employs 22 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.0:1.
What is the student diversity at Mercedes Early College Academy?
Student demographics at Mercedes Early College Academy are roughly 1% White, 98% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian.
Who oversees Mercedes Early College Academy?
Mercedes Early College Academy is overseen by MERCEDES ISD in Hidalgo County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.