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Merriam Cherry Street Elementary

Q: Is Merriam Cherry Street Elementary a good school?

Merriam Cherry Street Elementary ranks 1508 th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1508^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 2,258 Florida Elementary Schools

Better than 33% of Florida elementary schools

Summary

Merriam Cherry Street Elementary is a public elementary school in Panama City, Florida, serving 381 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Bay District, which is ranked 35 out of 67 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Merriam Cherry Street Elementary faces significant challenges, including consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, lower test scores compared to district and state averages, and a very high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 72.38% to 75.07%. While the school has relatively high per-student spending, it is underperforming compared to nearby schools like Callaway Elementary School and Bay Haven Charter Academy, which have significantly higher test scores and lower chronic absenteeism rates.

Merriam Cherry Street Elementary's performance has been declining over the years, as evidenced by its decreasing statewide ranking and star rating from SchoolDigger. This suggests that the school is facing significant challenges in improving student outcomes, which may be related to the high concentration of economically disadvantaged students it serves. Targeted interventions and support may be necessary to address the root causes of the school's challenges and improve student outcomes.

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%

See top rated Florida elementary schools

Compare Merriam Cherry Street Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 22nd percentile in 2014 → 33rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

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

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

!Math scores 11 pts below the Florida average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg56%

Florida avg58%

1,508^th of 2,258

Florida public elementary schools ?

Bottom 33%▲ up 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 33% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Florida Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

17^th of 24Elementary 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	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 (2024-2025) ?

Math49%-11 vs state

Science49%-6 vs state

English Language Arts48%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merriam Cherry Street Elementary

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)	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 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%)	34.7	1508^th of 2258 public elementary schools	33.2%		27.2	1706^th of 2256 public elementary schools	24.4%	198	54.0	41.0	48.0	58.0	54.0	40.0	49.0	$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%)	6.2	2205^th of 2258 public elementary schools	2.3%					(n/a)	20.0	37.0		18.0	41.0			$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%)	41.6	1303^rd of 2258 public elementary schools	42.3%		51.1	1072^nd of 2256 public elementary schools	52.5%	231	75.0	58.0	47.0	50.0	61.0	48.0	31.0	$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%)	10.7	2134^th of 2258 public elementary schools	5.5%		4.9	2222^nd of 2256 public elementary schools	1.5%	88	20.0	42.0	36.0	27.0	45.0	26.0	32.0	$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%)	26.3	1748^th of 2258 public elementary schools	22.6%		28.3	1675^th of 2256 public elementary schools	25.8%	73	32.0	47.0	47.0	41.0	56.0	33.0	54.0	$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%)	1.4	2245^th of 2258 public elementary schools	0.6%		0.5	2254^th of 2256 public elementary schools	0.1%	9	21.0	15.0	7.0	21.0	8.0	21.0	7.0	$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%)	34.8	1500^th of 2258 public elementary schools	33.6%		35.7	1468^th of 2256 public elementary schools	34.9%	32	52.0	53.0	38.0	58.0	64.0	39.0	43.0	$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%)	21.5	1858^th of 2258 public elementary schools	17.7%		29.3	1641^st of 2256 public elementary schools	27.3%	217	31.0	54.0	39.0	40.0	49.0	33.0	40.0	$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%)	22.7	1830^th of 2258 public elementary schools	19.0%		41.7	1299^th of 2256 public elementary schools	42.4%	531	28.0	54.0	31.0	35.0	62.0	41.0	43.0	$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%)	43	1275^th of 2258 public elementary schools	43.5%		57.4	912^th of 2256 public elementary schools	59.6%	363	49.0	60.0	45.0	57.0	59.0	56.0	47.0	$11,187	$1,280	$9,908

Frequently Asked Questions about Merriam Cherry Street Elementary

How many students attend Merriam Cherry Street Elementary?

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

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

Is Merriam Cherry Street Elementary a good school?

Merriam Cherry Street Elementary ranks 1508^th of 2258 Florida elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Merriam Cherry Street Elementary in?

Bay

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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.