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Hugh Mercer Elementary

Q: Is Hugh Mercer Elementary a good school?

Hugh Mercer Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.6% of Virginia elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Hugh Mercer Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 859 students attended Hugh Mercer Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Hugh Mercer Elementary?

Students at Hugh Mercer Elementary are 30% African American, 26% Hispanic, 21% White, 15% Asian, 7% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Hugh Mercer Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hugh Mercer Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Walker-Grant Middle High : James Monroe High

Public Grades K-5

1070^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,110 Virginia Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Virginia elementary schools

Summary

Hugh Mercer Elementary is a public elementary school in Fredericksburg, Virginia, serving 849 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Fredericksburg City Public Schools district, which is ranked 126 out of 129 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

According to the data, Hugh Mercer Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Virginia elementary schools based on the SchoolDigger statewide ranking. The school's performance on SOL (Standards of Learning) tests is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas, with proficiency rates around 40-50% in mathematics and reading, compared to the state averages of 70-73%. The school's performance has been declining in recent years. Additionally, Hugh Mercer Elementary has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 19.3% to 27.0% over the past few years.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Fredericksburg City Public Schools district, such as Lafayette Elementary and Walker-Grant Early Childhood Center, also have low academic performance and high percentages of economically disadvantaged students, suggesting systemic challenges within the district. However, some nearby schools in the Stafford County Public Schools and Spotsylvania County Public Schools districts, such as Conway Elementary, Ferry Farm Elementary, and Spotswood Elementary, have significantly higher academic performance and lower percentages of economically disadvantaged students.

859

Students ?

15.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,445

Per pupil spending ?

90.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2100 Cowan Blvd
Fredericksburg, VA 22401-1002

(540) 372-1115

District: Fredericksburg City Public Schools

Students who attend Hugh Mercer Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Walker-Grant Middle
High:	James Monroe High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

30.3%

Hispanic:

26.0%

White:

21.0%

See top rated Virginia elementary schools

Compare Hugh Mercer Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 8th percentile in 2005 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Virginia average (44% vs 71% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Science scores 35 pts below the Virginia average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school44%

District avg49%

Virginia avg71%

1,070^th of 1,110

Virginia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 5 pts since 2022

From bottom 8% (2022) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Virginia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Elementary Schools in the Fredericksburg City Public Schools

126^th of 129Fredericksburg City Public Schools among Virginia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	5.5	1070 of 1110	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	1059 of 1114	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	987 of 1114	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	1016 of 1109	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	18.1	980 of 1062	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	11.0	550 of 579	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	537 of 588	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	24.1	483 of 579	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	0.5	237 of 238	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	0.9	229 of 230	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2024	0.7	351 of 355	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	14.5	313 of 326	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.1	286 of 306	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	27.8	234 of 300	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	1046 of 1096	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.7	1049 of 1098	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	1028 of 1100	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	7.7	588 of 606	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.1	546 of 580	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	501 of 564	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	6.9	1023 of 1046	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.2	1008 of 1036	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	6.8	1047 of 1093	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.7	1042 of 1101	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	19.3	938 of 1093	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	9.9	260 of 271	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	236 of 247	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Virginia percentile	Rating
2025	25.0	808 of 973	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.1	914 of 979	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.3	791 of 984	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

White (2025)17th percentile+13 vs school

African American (2025)5th percentile~ school

Female (2025)5th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)4th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)4th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Disabled (2024)1st percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2024)<1st percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Virginia (2024-2025) ?

VA Studies48%-21 vs state

English Reading47%-24 vs state

Mathematics43%-29 vs state

Science34%-35 vs state

3.0

2 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, July 30, 2010

fabulous school Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, June 11, 2009

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

Schools Near Hugh Mercer Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				SOL Mathematics (2025)			SOL Science (2025)	SOL English Reading (2025)			SOL VA Studies (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	SOL Mathematics 3rd Grade	SOL Mathematics 4th Grade	SOL Mathematics 5th Grade	SOL Science 5th Grade	SOL English Reading 3rd Grade	SOL English Reading 4th Grade	SOL English Reading 5th Grade	SOL VA Studies 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Hugh Mercer Elementary	Public	K-5	2100 Cowan Blvd	Fredericksburg	22401	Fredericksburg city	Fredericksburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 372-1115	859	54	15.8	90.3%	180 (21.0%)	260 (30.3%)	223 (26.0%)	129 (15.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	63 (7.3%)	5.5	1070^th of 1110 public elementary schools	3.6%		7.2	1059^th of 1114 public elementary schools	4.9%	11	41.0	41.5	46.5	34.0	43.1	50.4	47.1	47.7	$12,445	$2,223	$10,222
Lafayette Elementary	Public	K-5	3 Learning Lane	Fredericksburg	22401	Fredericksburg city	Fredericksburg City Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 372-1135	812	54	15.0	90.8%	206 (25.4%)	232 (28.6%)	193 (23.8%)	102 (12.6%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	76 (9.4%)	15.2	980^th of 1110 public elementary schools	11.7%		23.2	917^th of 1114 public elementary schools	17.7%	63	56.3	50.8	53.7	49.6	51.8	61.0	57.1	47.4	$13,267	$2,236	$11,031
Salem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4501 Jackson Rd	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 786-8218	573	42	13.6	64.9%	139 (24.3%)	146 (25.5%)	216 (37.7%)	20 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	49 (8.6%)	28.6	842^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	24.1%		39.7	732^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	34.3%	110	29.7	70.5	66.7	51.4	27.7	73.9	63.6	70.7	$9,880	$1,114	$8,765
Ferry Farm Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	20 Pendleton Rd	Fredericksburg	22405	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 373-7366	555	42	13.2	44.5%	303 (54.6%)	66 (11.9%)	125 (22.5%)	15 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	44 (7.9%)	54.8	542^nd of 1110 public elementary schools	51.2%		54.7	560^th of 1114 public elementary schools	49.7%	18	69.0	84.7	68.3	68.3	61.2	81.9	71.0	82.7	$13,170	$927	$12,242
Falmouth Elementary	Public	K-5	1000 Forbes St	Falmouth	22405	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 373-7458	724	51	14.1	78.7%	240 (33.1%)	181 (25.0%)	166 (22.9%)	53 (7.3%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (11.5%)	26.1	871^st of 1110 public elementary schools	21.5%		25	901^st of 1114 public elementary schools	19.1%	30	66.4	51.6	62.5	55.8	59.5	62.2	61.5	57.3	$10,496	$647	$9,849
Spotswood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Lorraine Avenue	Fredericksburg	22408	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 898-1514	526	35	15.0	65.4%	140 (26.6%)	120 (22.8%)	164 (31.2%)	40 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (11.8%)	41.8	700^th of 1110 public elementary schools	36.9%		53.9	573^rd of 1114 public elementary schools	48.6%	127	57.7	73.3	72.1	69.8	51.2	65.1	73.2	71.3	$9,002	$743	$8,259
Conway Elementary	Public	K-5	105 Primmer House Road	Fredericksburg	22405	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 361-1455	904	61	14.8	47.2%	355 (39.3%)	203 (22.5%)	185 (20.5%)	83 (9.2%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	74 (8.2%)	42.3	695^th of 1110 public elementary schools	37.4%		33.4	800^th of 1114 public elementary schools	28.2%	105	66.1	65.7	71.8	68.2	61.5	73.1	72.3	59.0	$9,524	$640	$8,884
Battlefield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	11108 Leavells Rd	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 786-4532	665	40	16.6	73.4%	218 (32.8%)	106 (15.9%)	255 (38.3%)	31 (4.7%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (8.0%)	40.1	721^st of 1110 public elementary schools	35.0%		42.8	697^th of 1114 public elementary schools	37.4%	24	69.7	72.0	65.3	65.3	51.8	76.3	65.3	65.3	$8,445	$628	$7,817
Harrison Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6230 Harrison Road	Fredericksburg	22407	Spotsylvania County	Spotsylvania County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(540) 548-4864	732	53	13.8	72.8%	217 (29.6%)	120 (16.4%)	315 (43.0%)	23 (3.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	55 (7.5%)	17.5	955^th of 1110 public elementary schools	14.0%		15.1	978^th of 1114 public elementary schools	12.2%	23	67.5	50.0	71.1	40.2	53.3	46.9	49.6	26.6	$9,593	$1,277	$8,316
Grafton Village Elementary	Public	K-5	501 Deacon Rd	Falmouth	22405	Stafford County	Stafford County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(540) 373-5454	737	49	15.0	36.6%	429 (58.2%)	98 (13.3%)	132 (17.9%)	16 (2.2%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (7.9%)	51.1	588^th of 1110 public elementary schools	47.0%		59.7	492^nd of 1114 public elementary schools	55.8%	96	75.0	66.9	76.3	66.7	58.5	72.5	76.3	74.2	$10,274	$364	$9,911

Frequently Asked Questions about Hugh Mercer Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Hugh Mercer Elementary?

Students at Hugh Mercer Elementary are 30% African American, 26% Hispanic, 21% White, 15% Asian, 7% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Hugh Mercer Elementary attend?

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

Middle : Walker-Grant Middle
High : James Monroe High

What district is Hugh Mercer Elementary in?

Fredericksburg City Public Schools

Is Hugh Mercer Elementary a good school?

Hugh Mercer Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.6% of Virginia elementary schools.

How many students attend Hugh Mercer Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 859 students attended Hugh Mercer Elementary.

Rate Hugh Mercer Elementary!

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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.