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Merritt Brown Middle School

Q: Is Merritt Brown Middle School a good school?

Merritt Brown Middle School ranks 866 th of 1205 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

866^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,205 Florida Middle Schools

Better than 28% of Florida middle schools

Summary

Merritt Brown Middle School is a public middle school located in Panama City, Florida, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 680 students. The school is part of the Bay District, which is ranked 35 out of 67 districts in Florida and is rated 3 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Merritt Brown Middle School has consistently outperformed the Bay District and Florida state averages in several key test score metrics, particularly in End of Course (EOC) exams. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Merritt Brown had 77% proficiency in EOC Algebra 1, compared to 56% for the Bay District and 60% for Florida. Similarly, the school had 94% proficiency in EOC Geometry, significantly higher than the Bay District (50%) and Florida (55%) averages. However, the school has struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 30.9% to 35.3% over the past few years, which is notably higher than the state average.

When comparing Merritt Brown Middle School to the nearby Jinks Middle School and Mowat Middle School, Merritt Brown appears to be performing better academically. The two charter schools, Bay Haven Charter Middle School and North Bay Haven Charter Academy Middle School, consistently outperform Merritt Brown Middle School in test scores and other metrics, suggesting the potential benefits of the charter school model. Additionally, Merritt Brown Middle School has a higher percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients compared to the nearby charter schools, which may contribute to the academic performance gap.

634

Students ?

17.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,960

Per pupil spending ?

51.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5044 Merritt Brown Way
Panama City, FL 32404

(850) 767-3976

District: Bay

Feeder schools for Merritt Brown Middle School:

Elementary:	Cedar Grove Elementary School
	Deer Point Elementary School
	Waller Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.9%

Hispanic:

10.3%

African American:

9.0%

See top rated Florida middle schools

Compare Merritt Brown Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 50th percentile in 2014 → 28th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (49% vs 58% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 22 percentile points since 2014

!Math scores 17 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg57%

Florida avg58%

866^th of 1,205

Florida public middle schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 22 pts since 2016

From top 50% (2016) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 5Middle Schools in the Bay

35^th of 67Bay among Florida 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	Florida percentile	Rating
2025	31.6	866 of 1205	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.6	897 of 1196	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.4	812 of 1177	31.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.6	850 of 1148	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.0	764 of 1136	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	727 of 1099	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.1	603 of 1035	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.7	608 of 1031	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.2	496 of 997	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2014	49.8	502 of 999	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2013	50.0	491 of 956	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	49.6	472 of 897	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2011	60.5	369 of 891	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.0	298 of 839	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2009	68.0	265 of 780	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	66.4	261 of 740	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2007	64.0	270 of 736	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	64.8	230 of 675	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2005	64.2	222 of 602	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	57.7	267 of 593	55.0%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2024-2025) ?

Geometry94%+39 vs state

Algebra 177%+17 vs state

Civics67%-4 vs state

English Language Arts48%-10 vs state

Science40%-9 vs state

Math39%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merritt Brown Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				FAST English Language Arts (2025)			FAST Math (2025)			Statewide Science Science (2025)	EOC Algebra 1 (2025)	EOC Geometry (2025)	EOC Civics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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	FAST English Language Arts 6th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 7th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 8th Grade	FAST Math 6th Grade	FAST Math 7th Grade	FAST Math 8th Grade	Statewide Science Science 8th Grade	EOC Algebra 1 End of Course	EOC Geometry End of Course	EOC Civics End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Merritt Brown Middle School	Public	6-8	5044 Merritt Brown Way	Panama City	32404	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-3976	634	37	17.1	51.1%	462 (72.9%)	57 (9.0%)	65 (10.3%)	7 (1.1%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (6.5%)	31.6	866^th of 1205 public middle schools	28.1%		27.6	897^th of 1196 public middle schools	25.0%	31	47.0	52.0	44.0	45.0	38.0	34.0	40.0	77.0	94.0	67.0	$10,960	$899	$10,062
North Bay Haven Charter Academy Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	1 Buccaneer Dr	Panama City	32404	Bay County	Bay	Yes	No	No	No	(850) 248-0801	526	25	21.0	29.8%	348 (66.2%)	23 (4.4%)	65 (12.4%)	19 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	67 (12.7%)	81.3	193^rd of 1205 public middle schools	84.0%		87.1	123^rd of 1196 public middle schools	89.7%	70	77.0	67.0	66.0	86.0	77.0	95.0	63.0	99.0	100.0	86.0	$7,857	$00	$7,857
Bay Haven Charter Middle School	Public, Charter	6-8	2501 Hawks Landing Blvd	Panama City	32405	Bay County	Bay	Yes	No	No	No	(850) 248-3500	429	22	19.5	35.7%	288 (67.1%)	33 (7.7%)	53 (12.4%)	15 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (9.1%)	83.9	160^th of 1205 public middle schools	86.7%		65.2	382^nd of 1196 public middle schools	68.1%	222	84.0	73.0	72.0	84.0	85.0	80.0	59.0	100.0	100.0	90.0	$7,248	$00	$7,248
Mowat Middle School	Public	6-8	1903 W Highway 390	Lynn Haven	32444	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	No	(850) 767-4040	803	43	18.6	43.1%	475 (59.2%)	124 (15.4%)	115 (14.3%)	12 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	74 (9.2%)	40.8	738^th of 1205 public middle schools	38.8%		51.1	569^th of 1196 public middle schools	52.4%	169	52.0	55.0	51.0	56.0	33.0	47.0	42.0	96.0	100.0	66.0	$9,006	$1,002	$8,003
Jinks Middle School	Public	6-8	600 W 11th St	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-4695	541	30	18.0	59.5%	165 (30.5%)	195 (36.0%)	138 (25.5%)	3 (0.6%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (6.7%)	19.3	1017^th of 1205 public middle schools	15.6%		17.8	1027^th of 1196 public middle schools	14.1%	10	51.0	36.0	30.0	31.0	29.0	35.0	28.0	64.0	65.0	48.0	$10,771	$1,195	$9,576

Frequently Asked Questions about Merritt Brown Middle School

How many students attend Merritt Brown Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 634 students attended Merritt Brown Middle School.

What district is Merritt Brown Middle School in?

Bay

What is the racial makeup of Merritt Brown Middle School?

Students at Merritt Brown Middle School are 73% White, 10% Hispanic, 9% African American, 6% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Merritt Brown Middle School a good school?

Merritt Brown Middle School ranks 866^th of 1205 Florida middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Merritt Brown Middle School!

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