Hugh Mercer Elementary

Summary:

Hugh Mercer Elementary is a public elementary school in Fredericksburg, Virginia, serving 959 students from kindergarten to 5th grade. The school is part of the Fredericksburg City Public Schools district, which is ranked 125 out of 130 districts in Virginia and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Hugh Mercer Elementary has a diverse student population, with 25.44% White, 30.66% African American, 22.21% Hispanic, 9.91% Asian, and 10.74% two or more races. However, the school's academic performance, as measured by SOL (Standards of Learning) assessments, is generally lower than the district and state averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's 3rd grade math proficiency rate was 33.09%, compared to the district's 43.4% and the state's 70.11%. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Virginia elementary schools and has been rated 0 or 1 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger, indicating poor performance compared to other schools in the state.

When comparing Hugh Mercer Elementary to other nearby schools, such as Lafayette Elementary, it becomes evident that the school is underperforming academically. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, at 83.94% in the 2022-2023 school year, which is significantly higher than the state average. This suggests that socioeconomic factors may be contributing to the school's academic challenges, and the school may need to implement targeted interventions and support to address the unique needs of its student population.


Detail:

Public K-5

 2100 Cowan Blvd
       Fredericksburg, VA  22401-1002


(540) 372-1115

District: Fredericksburg City Public Schools

SchoolDigger Rank:
1059th of 1,114 Virginia Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,385 Help


Students who attend Hugh Mercer Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Walker-Grant Middle
High:    James Monroe High

Student/teacher ratio:  17.1 Help
Number of students:  959

Racial breakdown:

African American:
30.7%
White:
25.4%
Hispanic:
22.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  83.9% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Hugh Mercer Elementary ranks worse than 95.1% of elementary schools in Virginia. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 7.16. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Hugh Mercer Elementary is $9,385.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Hugh Mercer Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Hugh Mercer Elementary 1059th of 1114 Virginia public elementary schools. (See Hugh Mercer Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Male students:
Asian students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Fredericksburg City Public Schools:

SchoolDigger ranks Fredericksburg City Public Schools 125th of 130 Virginia school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Hugh Mercer Elementary?

Rank History for Hugh Mercer Elementary

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2005 18.13 980th 1062 7.7%
2022 10.71 1016th 1109 8.4%
2023 14.05 987th 1114 11.4%
2024 7.16 1059th 1114 4.9%
See the entire list of Virginia Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 10.48 236th 247 4.5%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 27.76 234th 300 22.0%
2024 16.10 286th 306 6.5%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 8.16 1008th 1036 2.7%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 9.69 1028th 1100 6.5%
2024 6.70 1049th 1098 4.5%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 0.70 351st 355 1.1%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 19.26 938th 1093 14.2%
2024 8.71 1042nd 1101 5.4%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 0.95 229th 230 0.4%
2024 0.52 237th 238 0.4%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 24.14 483rd 579 16.6%
2024 17.24 537th 588 8.7%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 16.93 501st 564 11.2%
2024 10.06 546th 580 5.9%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Hugh Mercer Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools VA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 28.33 791st 984 19.6%
2024 13.05 914th 979 6.6%
See the entire list of Best Virginia Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Virginia Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Hugh Mercer Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Virginia Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)
50%

0%

0%

0%

50%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Friday, July 30, 2010

Open Quote fabulous school Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, June 11, 2009

Open Quote If you can possibly avoid having your child attend this school, DO SO! The administration and teachers are rude to parents AND children. They will actually yell at parents so you can only imagine how they speak to your children when you are not there. I have personally seen them scream at children and yank their arms. Their treatment of children borders on abuse!

This is the absolute worst school I have every come across and urge you to spare your children this horrific experience! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Hugh Mercer Elementary

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 905 905
1990 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 962 962
1991 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a 769 769
1992 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 788 788
1993 407 279 15 23 4 n/a n/a 0 728
1994 401 307 11 25 2 n/a n/a 0 746
1995 402 388 7 22 0 n/a n/a 0 819
1996 402 388 7 22 0 n/a n/a 0 819
1997 344 402 10 36 0 n/a n/a 0 792
1998 326 419 14 37 2 n/a n/a 0 798
1999 315 362 14 49 1 n/a n/a 0 741
2000 296 352 10 53 2 n/a n/a -4 709
2001 285 357 7 62 1 n/a n/a 0 712
2002 281 351 15 94 0 n/a n/a 0 741
2003 281 351 15 94 0 n/a n/a 0 741
2004 297 340 14 83 0 n/a n/a 0 734
2005 307 383 21 102 0 n/a n/a 0 813
2006 227 290 16 85 3 n/a n/a 0 621
2007 248 281 18 90 7 n/a n/a 0 644
2008 254 300 23 93 5 n/a n/a 0 675
2009 258 322 19 125 5 n/a n/a 0 729
2010 255 299 21 138 3 n/a n/a 18 734
2011 274 300 21 168 2 1 48 0 814
2012 283 300 23 175 0 4 50 0 835
2013 277 306 29 208 1 5 52 0 878
2014 261 309 31 231 1 3 72 0 908
2015 258 292 40 224 2 2 83 0 901
2016 287 304 57 189 2 0 28 0 867
2017 260 268 50 197 5 0 71 0 851
2018 256 254 58 205 3 1 77 0 854
2019 273 246 62 236 4 1 94 0 916
2020 277 262 85 248 4 3 99 0 978
2021 222 255 82 210 3 4 90 0 866
2022 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023 244 294 95 213 2 8 103 0 959

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Hugh Mercer Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 905 52.0 17.4 n/a
1990 962 52.0 18.5 n/a
1991 769 50.0 15.3 n/a
1992 788 50.9 15.4 n/a
1993 728 49.0 14.9 n/a
1994 746 50.7 n/a 44.2
1995 819 n/a 0.0 50.3
1996 819 n/a 0.0 50.3
1997 792 n/a 0.0 50.3
1998 798 n/a 0.0 50.6
1999 741 56.0 13.2 54
2000 709 n/a 0.0 56.2
2001 712 55.0 12.9 54.8
2002 741 61.0 12.1 55.9
2003 741 61.0 12.1 55.9
2004 734 57.0 12.9 52.9
2005 813 57.0 14.3 53.8
2006 621 51.0 12.2 53.9
2007 644 51.5 12.5 54.2
2008 675 41.0 16.5 47.9
2009 729 43.0 17.0 54.6
2010 734 43.0 17.0 60.2
2011 814 44.8 18.1 61.2
2012 835 52.9 15.7 62
2013 878 54.9 15.9 58.2
2014 908 56.9 15.9 61.6
2015 901 60.0 15.0 70
2016 867 61.0 14.2 67.8
2017 851 58.9 14.4 78.5
2018 854 57.9 14.7 81
2019 916 61.9 14.7 88.2
2020 978 60.4 16.1 81.1
2021 866 58.7 14.7 n/a
2022 0 60.4 0.0 n/a
2023 959 56.0 17.1 83.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Hugh Mercer Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 905 52.0 17.4 n/a
1990 962 52.0 18.5 n/a
1991 769 50.0 15.3 n/a
1992 788 50.9 15.4 n/a
1993 728 49.0 14.9 n/a
1994 746 50.7 n/a 44.2
1995 819 n/a 0.0 50.3
1996 819 n/a 0.0 50.3
1997 792 n/a 0.0 50.3
1998 798 n/a 0.0 50.6
1999 741 56.0 13.2 54
2000 709 n/a 0.0 56.2
2001 712 55.0 12.9 54.8
2002 741 61.0 12.1 55.9
2003 741 61.0 12.1 55.9
2004 734 57.0 12.9 52.9
2005 813 57.0 14.3 53.8
2006 621 51.0 12.2 53.9
2007 644 51.5 12.5 54.2
2008 675 41.0 16.5 47.9
2009 729 43.0 17.0 54.6
2010 734 43.0 17.0 60.2
2011 814 44.8 18.1 61.2
2012 835 52.9 15.7 62
2013 878 54.9 15.9 58.2
2014 908 56.9 15.9 61.6
2015 901 60.0 15.0 70
2016 867 61.0 14.2 67.8
2017 851 58.9 14.4 78.5
2018 854 57.9 14.7 81
2019 916 61.9 14.7 88.2
2020 978 60.4 16.1 81.1
2021 866 58.7 14.7 n/a
2022 0 60.4 0.0 n/a
2023 959 56.0 17.1 83.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Hugh Mercer Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,005 (10.2%) $8,805 (89.8%) $9,810
2020 $851 (9.5%) $8,080 (90.5%) $8,931
2021 $881 (9.4%) $8,504 (90.6%) $9,385

Data source: Virginia Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Hugh Mercer Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students916959
 4.7%
African American246294
 19.5%
American Indian42
 50%
Asian6295
 53.2%
Hispanic236213
 9.7%
Pacific Islander18
 700%
White273244
 10.6%
Two or More Races94103
 9.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients88.2%83.9%
 4.3%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Hugh Mercer Elementary

In the 2022-23 school year, 959 students attended Hugh Mercer Elementary.

Hugh Mercer Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.9% of Virginia elementary schools.

Students who attend Hugh Mercer Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Walker-Grant Middle
High : James Monroe High

Students at Hugh Mercer Elementary are 31% African American, 25% White, 22% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 10% Asian.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Virginia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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