Mercedes Early College Academy
Public high school in Mercedes, Texas · Mercedes ISD · Grades 9–12
Mercedes Early College Academy serves 355 students in grades 9–12 in Mercedes (Hidalgo County). It is one of 10 schools in Mercedes ISD. By enrollment it is the 1082nd largest of 1,920 public high schools in Texas (median 457 students). With 16 students per full-time teacher, it has more students per teacher than the typical Texas high school (14).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,920 Texas high schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 22.22 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Alternative School |
| Level | High |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| District | Mercedes ISD |
| County | Hidalgo County |
| Area type | Suburb, large |
| School meals | Free meals for every student (Community Eligibility Provision) |
| NCES school ID | 483025012441 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | Mercedes ISD | Texas high schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 355 | 4,207 | 457 |
| Students per teacher | 16 | 14.2 | 14 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 80% | 90.4% | 63.8% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 69% of Texas high schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Mercedes Early College Academy in context
Size
Mercedes Early College Academy is the 2nd largest of Mercedes ISD's 3 high schools; its 355 students are 8.4% of district enrollment. Its 8 closest high schools sit a median 1.5 miles away with a median enrollment of 497; Mercedes Early College Academy is smaller than most of them.
NCES lists it as an alternative school: one that serves students whose needs a regular school may not meet, or that offers a non-traditional program alongside regular schools.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is grade 11 with 94 students, and its smallest is grade 9 with 84, against an average of 89 per grade. Its first and last grades are close in size: 84 in grade 9 and 85 in grade 12.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is Hispanic students: 98% here and 98% across Mercedes ISD. Students from 4 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
80% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 90.4% across Mercedes ISD and a median of 63.8% for Texas high schools. Under the Community Eligibility Provision, every student can eat breakfast and lunch at no charge, and families fill out no meal application.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 22.22 full-time-equivalent teachers for 355 students, Mercedes Early College Academy has 16 students per teacher. At the median Texas high school ratio of 14, a school with 355 students would have about 25.4 teachers, so Mercedes Early College Academy has 3.2 fewer.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas high schools (14).
Location
Mercedes Early College Academy is in an urbanized area of 250,000 people or more, outside its principal city, which NCES calls suburb, large. The nearest other high school is Triumph Public High Schools-Mercedes, 0.6 miles away in Triumph Public High Schools-Rio Grande Valley. Within 10 miles there are 21 other high schools, 15 of them within 5 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| Hispanic | 98% |
| White | 1.4% |
| Asian | 0.3% |
| Black | 0.3% |
54.1% of students are girls and 45.9% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 9 | 84 |
| Grade 10 | 92 |
| Grade 11 | 94 |
| Grade 12 | 85 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
950 W 6th St, Mercedes, TX 78570
Phone: (956)514-5180
Website: misdtx.net
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Mercedes Early College Academy. Blue: the nearest high schools.
Nearby high schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triumph Public High Schools-Mercedes | Triumph Public High Schools-Rio Grande Valley | 0.6 mi | 109 | 22.1 | – |
| Mercedes High School | Mercedes ISD | 0.9 mi | 903 | 14.8 | 92% |
| South Texas ISD Health Professions | South Texas ISD | 1.4 mi | 781 | 14.5 | 64.1% |
| South Texas ISD Science Academy | South Texas ISD | 1.4 mi | 840 | 12.9 | 54.8% |
| South Texas ISD Virtual Academy | South Texas ISD | 1.5 mi | 212 | 13.7 | 63.7% |
| Mercedes Academic Academy | Mercedes ISD | 1.6 mi | 100 | 10.8 | 96% |
| South Palm Gardens High School | Weslaco ISD | 2.0 mi | 72 | 14.8 | 93.1% |
| Weslaco East High School | Weslaco ISD | 3.1 mi | 2,066 | 16.3 | 86% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.
Other schools in Mercedes ISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F Kennedy Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 399 |
| Mercedes Academic Academy | High | 9–12 | 100 |
| Mercedes Early Literacy Program | Pre-K | Pre-K | 189 |
| Mercedes High School | High | 9–12 | 903 |
| Ruben Hinojosa Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 468 |
| Sgt Manuel Chacon Middle School | Middle | 6–9 | 518 |
| Sgt William G Harrell Middle School | Middle | 6–8 | 390 |
| Taylor Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 406 |
| Travis Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 478 |