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Merriam Cherry Street Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1994^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,240 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 11% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Merriam Cherry Street Elementary in Panama City, FL, is a public school serving 343 students from Pre-K through 5th grade within the Bay district, where a majority of families (64%) qualify for free or reduced lunch.

This school stands out for its exceptional student-teacher ratio of 12.7:1, which is significantly lower than nearby schools like Lucille Moore Elementary (14.6:1) and Callaway Elementary School (20:1), suggesting more personalized attention for your child. The school also invests heavily, spending $14,360 per student—the second-highest among comparable schools. A bright spot is 3rd-grade math, where 57% of students are proficient, outperforming many peers like Hiland Park Elementary School (50%) and Lucille Moore Elementary (43%). However, the school faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism, which was 39.4% in 2023-2024, though this is an improvement from 51.7% two years prior. Additionally, while 3rd-grade scores are a strength, there is a noticeable "slide" by 5th grade, where math proficiency drops to 35%—lower than Parker Elementary School (42%) and Northside Elementary School (53%).

Despite these hurdles, Merriam Cherry Street is on a positive trajectory, moving from the 3rd percentile statewide in 2021-2022 to the 11th percentile in 2025-2026—a more dramatic improvement than many nearby schools. Interestingly, Palm Bay Elementary School, just 2.33 miles away with a similar economic profile (55% free/reduced lunch), performs much higher (43rd percentile), showing that the challenges here are not solely about demographics. The school's recent gains, combined with its low class sizes and high spending, suggest a turnaround is underway, but parents should be aware of the attendance and upper-grade performance issues.

343

Students ?

12.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,360

Per pupil spending ?

64.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1125 Cherry St
Panama City, FL 32401

(850) 767-1480

District: Bay

Students who attend Merriam Cherry Street Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Jinks Middle School
High:	Bay High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.9%

African American:

36.7%

Hispanic:

13.4%

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Compare Merriam Cherry Street Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 12th percentile in 2016 → 11th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Florida average (42% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (11th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (39% vs 31% Florida)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg61%

Florida avg62%

1,994^th of 2,240

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 11%▼ down 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st of 24Elementary Schools in the Bay

28^th of 70Bay 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
2026	17.2	1994 of 2240	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.7	1508 of 2258	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.2	1706 of 2256	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.7	2140 of 2240	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.4	2143 of 2219	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	15.1	1984 of 2247	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.2	908 of 2182	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.0	1025 of 2118	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	19.3	1799 of 2112	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.8	1845 of 2087	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	25.6	1615 of 2064	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	32.6	1417 of 2029	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	33.8	1343 of 1984	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	50.5	1037 of 1985	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	56.0	906 of 1919	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	70.3	531 of 1847	71.3%	★★★★☆
2008	62.2	701 of 1789	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	54.5	859 of 1786	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2006	42.2	1008 of 1688	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Florida (2025-2026) ?

Math47%-17 vs state

English Language Arts42%-18 vs state

Science24%-36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merriam Cherry Street Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				FAST English Language Arts (2026)			FAST Math (2026)			Statewide Science Science (2026)	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 (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	FAST English Language Arts 3rd Grade	FAST English Language Arts 4th Grade	FAST English Language Arts 5th Grade	FAST Math 3rd Grade	FAST Math 4th Grade	FAST Math 5th Grade	Statewide Science Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Merriam Cherry Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1125 Cherry St	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-1480	343	27	12.7	64.1%	137 (39.9%)	126 (36.7%)	46 (13.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (9.0%)	17.2	1994^th of 2240 public elementary schools	11.0%		34.7	1508^th of 2258 public elementary schools	33.2%	486	53.0	39.0	36.0	57.0	50.0	35.0	24.0	$14,360	$1,498	$12,862
Oscar Patterson Academy	Public	PK, KG-4	1025 Redwood Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(850) 767-1610	394	26	15.1	71.1%	93 (23.6%)	181 (45.9%)	85 (21.6%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	27 (6.9%)	5.9	2193^rd of 2240 public elementary schools	2.1%		6.2	2205^th of 2258 public elementary schools	2.3%	12	35.0	28.0	37.0	33.0	22.0	40.0	33.0	$13,754	$1,935	$11,819
Palm Bay Elementary School	Public, Charter	K-5	1104 Balboa Ave	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	Yes	No	No	Yes	(850) 215-0770	321	19	16.8	54.5%	106 (33.0%)	89 (27.7%)	88 (27.4%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (9.0%)	44.3	1288^th of 2240 public elementary schools	42.5%		41.6	1303^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	42.3%	15	51.0	72.0	63.0	69.0	56.0	53.0	41.0	$10,818	$1,746	$9,072
Cedar Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2826 E 15th St	Panama City	32405	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-4550	495	34	14.5	74.7%	156 (31.5%)	163 (32.9%)	90 (18.2%)	6 (1.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (15.4%)	23.4	1836^th of 2240 public elementary schools	18.0%		10.7	2134^th of 2258 public elementary schools	5.5%	298	56.0	42.0	50.0	51.0	32.0	45.0	48.0	$16,425	$2,509	$13,916
Parker Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	640 S Highway 22 A	Panama City	32404	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-4570	510	31	16.4	70.6%	164 (32.2%)	175 (34.3%)	111 (21.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (11.4%)	35.9	1501^st of 2240 public elementary schools	33.0%		26.3	1748^th of 2258 public elementary schools	22.6%	247	46.0	50.0	56.0	61.0	59.0	42.0	61.0	$11,939	$1,423	$10,516
St. Andrew School At Oakland Terrace	Public	PK, KG-5	2010 W 12th St	Panama City	32401	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-4595	55	12	4.5	74.5%	22 (40.0%)	20 (36.4%)	2 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (18.2%)	0.6	2228^th of 2240 public elementary schools	0.5%		1.4	2245^th of 2258 public elementary schools	0.6%	17	21.0	0.0		21.0	0.0			$50,135	$6,694	$43,440
Northside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 Northside Dr	Panama City	32405	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-1506	569	36	15.8	51.1%	285 (50.1%)	99 (17.4%)	114 (20.0%)	8 (1.4%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	59 (10.4%)	41.3	1366^th of 2240 public elementary schools	39.0%		34.8	1500^th of 2258 public elementary schools	33.6%	134	57.0	55.0	57.0	63.0	55.0	53.0	55.0	$11,170	$1,188	$9,983
Hiland Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2507 E Baldwin Rd	Panama City	32405	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-4685	684	40	17.1	52.2%	340 (49.7%)	117 (17.1%)	145 (21.2%)	8 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	70 (10.2%)	37.3	1469^th of 2240 public elementary schools	34.4%		21.5	1858^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.7%	389	41.0	64.0	63.0	50.0	56.0	50.0	54.0	$11,663	$1,679	$9,984
Lucille Moore Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1900 Michigan Ave	Panama City	32405	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-1428	543	37	14.6	67.8%	142 (26.2%)	158 (29.1%)	192 (35.4%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (8.7%)	7.6	2177^th of 2240 public elementary schools	2.8%		22.7	1830^th of 2258 public elementary schools	19.0%	347	25.0	31.0	33.0	43.0	40.0	34.0	39.0	$12,885	$1,711	$11,174
Callaway Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	7115 E Highway 22	Panama City	32404	Bay County	Bay	No	No	No	Yes	(850) 767-1241	622	31	20.0	67.2%	274 (44.1%)	140 (22.5%)	115 (18.5%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (14.1%)	33.2	1579^th of 2240 public elementary schools	29.5%		43	1275^th of 2258 public elementary schools	43.5%	304	46.0	46.0	52.0	45.0	53.0	68.0	60.0	$11,187	$1,280	$9,908

Frequently Asked Questions about Merriam Cherry Street Elementary

What district is Merriam Cherry Street Elementary in?

Bay

Is Merriam Cherry Street Elementary a good school?

Merriam Cherry Street Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.0% of Florida elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Merriam Cherry Street Elementary?

Students at Merriam Cherry Street Elementary are 40% White, 37% African American, 13% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Merriam Cherry Street Elementary attend?

Students who attend Merriam Cherry Street Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Jinks Middle School
High : Bay High School

How many students attend Merriam Cherry Street Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 343 students attended Merriam Cherry Street Elementary.

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Latest Florida data All new data »

2025–26 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataMar 20, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesJan 13, 2026

2024–25 EOC, FAST & Statewide Science test scoresJun 26, 2025

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.