Lima Reporter

There were 576 eighth grade students enrolled in Mercer County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 3.2% more 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 189 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 8th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Celina Middle School	189	51.1	370
Coldwater Middle School	112	26.4	424
Parkway Middle School	89	30.3	294
St. Henry Middle School	65	22.6	287
Fort Recovery Middle School	63	33.7	187
Marion Local Elementary School	58	8.6	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
Fort Recovery High School	0	0	269
St. Henry High School	0	0	257
Parkway High School	0	0	268
Marion Local High School	0	0	235
Coldwater High School	0	0	331
Celina High School	0	0	728
Celina Primary School	0	0	531
Fort Recovery Elementary School	0	0	513