Lima Reporter

There were 184 pre-kindergarten students enrolled in Mercer County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 8% less than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

St. Henry Elementary School welcomed most of the pre-kindergarten students in the county, registering 80 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 Pre-kindergarten Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
St. Henry Elementary School	80	17	470
Fort Recovery Elementary School	65	12.7	513
Parkway Elementary School	39	9.7	404
Fort Recovery High School	0	0	269
Fort Recovery Middle School	0	0	187
St. Henry High School	0	0	257
St. Henry Middle School	0	0	287
Parkway High School	0	0	268
Parkway Middle School	0	0	294
Marion Local High School	0	0	235
Marion Local Elementary School	0	0	674
Coldwater Middle School	0	0	424
Coldwater Elementary School	0	0	634
Coldwater High School	0	0	331
Celina Intermediate Elementary School	0	0	343
Celina Elementary School	0	0	348
Celina Primary School	0	0	531
Celina High School	0	0	728
Celina Middle School	0	0	370