Lima Reporter

There were 565 fifth grade students enrolled in Mercer County schools in the 2023-24 school year, 4.6% more than the previous year, according to reports from the Ohio Department of Education & Workforce.

Celina Intermediate Elementary School welcomed most of the fifth grade students in the county, registering 174 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 5th Grade Students Enrolled	% of Student Body	Total Enrollment
Celina Intermediate Elementary School	174	50.7	343
Coldwater Middle School	116	27.4	424
St. Henry Middle School	74	25.8	287
Parkway Middle School	69	23.5	294
Fort Recovery Elementary School	67	13.1	513
Marion Local Elementary School	65	9.6	674
Celina Primary School	0	0	531
Celina Middle School	0	0	370
Celina High School	0	0	728
Coldwater High School	0	0	331
Marion Local High School	0	0	235
Parkway High School	0	0	268
St. Henry High School	0	0	257
Fort Recovery Middle School	0	0	187
Fort Recovery High School	0	0	269
St. Henry Elementary School	0	0	470
Parkway Elementary School	0	0	404
Coldwater Elementary School	0	0	634
Celina Elementary School	0	0	348