Lima Reporter

There were 473 12th grade students enrolled in Mercer County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.1% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

Celina High School welcomed most of the 12th grade students in the county, registering 165 students.

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

Statewide, Mercer County ranked 44th in enrollment numbers, with a total of 7,585 students enrolled in the 2023-24 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 12th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Celina High School	165	22.7	728
Coldwater High School	86	26	331
Fort Recovery High School	66	24.5	269
St. Henry High School	64	24.9	257
Parkway High School	48	17.9	268
Marion Local High School	44	18.7	235
Celina Middle School	0	0	370
Coldwater Middle School	0	0	424
Parkway Middle School	0	0	294
St. Henry Middle School	0	0	287
Fort Recovery Middle School	0	0	187
Marion Local Elementary School	0	0	674
Celina Intermediate Elementary School	0	0	343
Celina Elementary School	0	0	348
Coldwater Elementary School	0	0	634
Parkway Elementary School	0	0	404
St. Henry Elementary School	0	0	470
Celina Primary School	0	0	531
Fort Recovery Elementary School	0	0	513