Lima Reporter

There were 600 ninth grade students enrolled in Mercer County schools in the 2022-23 school year, 2.9% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

Celina High School welcomed most of the ninth grade students in the county, registering 206 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 9th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Celina High School	206	27.2	756
Coldwater High School	92	26.7	344
Parkway High School	85	31	274
St. Henry High School	80	29.4	272
Fort Recovery High School	73	27	270
Marion Local High School	64	26.2	244
Celina Middle School	0	0	411
Coldwater Middle School	0	0	387
Marion Local Elementary School	0	0	661
Parkway Middle School	0	0	292
Fort Recovery Middle School	0	0	186
St. Henry Middle School	0	0	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