Lima Reporter

There were 558 eighth grade students enrolled in Mercer County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 4.9% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

Celina Middle School welcomed most of the eighth grade students in the county, registering 209 students.

Within Mercer County schools, the highest student count was found in first grade, with the smallest class sizes seen in pre-kindergarten.

Statewide, Mercer County ranked 44th in enrollment numbers, with a total of 7,564 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year. It was also ranked 44th the year before.

In 2022, Ohio saw an average student-to-teacher ratio of approximately 1:15, which is an improvement for the state and is lower than the national average of 1:16.

Despite the apparent improvement, this positive trend is overshadowed by a general decline in public school enrollments, which was accelerated by the pandemic. This decline, aligned with the steady number of teachers in the state over the last 10 years, has led to low student-to-teacher ratios.

School name	# of 8th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Celina Middle School	209	50.9	411
Coldwater Middle School	85	22	387
Marion Local Elementary School	70	10.6	661
Parkway Middle School	68	23.3	292
Fort Recovery Middle School	67	36	186
St. Henry Middle School	59	21.6	273
Celina Intermediate Elementary School	0	0	339
Fort Recovery Elementary School	0	0	510
Celina Elementary School	0	0	350
Coldwater Elementary School	0	0	609
St. Henry Elementary School	0	0	444
Parkway Elementary School	0	0	399
Celina Primary School	0	0	525
Celina High School	0	0	756
Coldwater High School	0	0	344
Marion Local High School	0	0	244
Parkway High School	0	0	274
St. Henry High School	0	0	272
Fort Recovery High School	0	0	270