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Merry Acres Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

465^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 584 Georgia Middle Schools

Better than 20% of Georgia middle schools

Summary

Merry Acres Middle School is a public middle school in Albany, Georgia, serving 759 students in grades 6-8. The school is part of the Dougherty County School District, which is ranked 163 out of 206 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Merry Acres Middle School consistently underperforms compared to the Dougherty County and Georgia state averages on the Milestones Assessments across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts ranged from 10.1% to 22.3% at Merry Acres, compared to 24.1% to 25.2% for Dougherty County and 39.8% to 41.3% for the state. The school has been ranked in the bottom half of Georgia middle schools for the past several years, with its ranking ranging from 449 to 502 out of 542-588 schools, placing it in the bottom 20-30% of middle schools in the state. Merry Acres Middle School has also consistently received a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, the lowest possible rating, indicating it is among the lowest-performing schools in Georgia.

The nearby schools in the Dougherty County district, such as Radium Springs Middle School and Albany Middle School, also perform poorly on the Milestones Assessments and have low rankings and ratings, similar to Merry Acres Middle School. In contrast, Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet stands out as a high-performing school, ranking in the top 2% of Georgia middle schools and achieving proficiency rates well above the state and district averages. This highlights the potential impact of specialized, high-quality educational programs on student outcomes.

807

Students ?

13.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,601

Per pupil spending ?

100%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1601 Florence Dr
Albany, GA 31707

(229) 431-3338

District: Dougherty County

Students who attend Merry Acres Middle School usually attend:

High:

Westover High School

Feeder schools for Merry Acres Middle School:

Elementary:	Lake Park Elementary School
	Live Oak Elementary School
	Sherwood Acres Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.9%

Hispanic:

2.5%

White:

2.0%

See top rated Georgia middle schools

Compare Merry Acres Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 7th percentile in 2021 → 20th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 20th (2025) from a 7th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (19% vs 40% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 20% Georgia)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg26%

Georgia avg40%

465^th of 584

Georgia public middle schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 27 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 4Middle Schools in the Dougherty County

163^rd of 206Dougherty County among Georgia 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	Georgia percentile	Rating
2025	20.4	465 of 584	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	485 of 588	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.7	449 of 577	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	488 of 567	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.4	502 of 542	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	478 of 559	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.0	459 of 543	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.6	430 of 539	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.6	427 of 545	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	45.6	283 of 537	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	52.5	293 of 521	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	54.5	277 of 527	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	60.1	226 of 508	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	54.0	259 of 504	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	48.6	287 of 494	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	51.6	252 of 466	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2008	47.7	273 of 462	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	44.7	293 of 445	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	43.3	285 of 420	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Georgia (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies26%-13 vs state

Science21%-8 vs state

Mathematics18%-23 vs state

English Language Arts16%-24 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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1★0

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What people are saying

by a student
Monday, May 4, 2015

I lovedddddddddddddd this school! It was the best! They lest us pick our lockers, though they were dusty and brownish-color, they still were nice if you picked the right one (look out for locker 70, people!). They let us talk in the halls and at lunch, though sometimes if we were really loud (huehuehue lots of times our class shut all of the lunch talking down) they would put us on silent lunch for a little bit, perhaps the rest of the day, and usually the next day. I never got lunch detention, but people said it was fun. You couldn't talk, but people were still friendly. They also added a new part of the school that you could seriously tell you entered a whole new school. It was designated for 8th grade, and all new lockers and classrooms and halls were there. It's sort of dusty and spaced out now, for Excel has come and gone to Robert Cross (like me D:). I've been there since then, though, for 4-H competitions and such, and I know people there still. I remember how fun PE was, even though they'd push you a bit, they wouldn't knock you down. They also had the newest technology of all the schools, for they're a Title I school (they gain money from the community to support falling community members) and gain lots of money in the process. The school may be a bit dusty, old, and sometimes ghetto, but if you go to this school, you won't regret it! Close Quote

Schools Near Merry Acres Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Milestones Assessment Algebra I (2025)	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts (2025)			Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2025)			Milestones Assessment Science (2025)	Milestones Assessment Social Studies (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	Milestones Assessment Algebra I End of Course	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment English Language Arts 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 6th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 7th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 8th Grade	Milestones Assessment Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Merry Acres Middle School	Public	6-8	1601 Florence Dr	Albany	31707	Dougherty County	Dougherty County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 431-3338	807	59	13.6	100.0%	16 (2.0%)	750 (92.9%)	20 (2.5%)	6 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.9%)	20.4	465^th of 584 public middle schools	20.4%		19.6	485^th of 588 public middle schools	17.5%	20		16.2	10.1	22.3	15.8	8.9	29.9	20.8	25.5	$15,601	$2,061	$13,540
Robert A. Cross Middle Magnet	Public, Magnet	6-8	324 Lockett Station Rd	Albany	31721	Dougherty County	Dougherty County	No	Yes	No	Yes	(229) 431-3362	478	35	13.5	96.0%	13 (2.7%)	413 (86.4%)	27 (5.6%)	10 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.9%)	98.1	11^th of 584 public middle schools	98.1%		97.8	14^th of 588 public middle schools	97.6%	3	100.0	83.2	84.7	76.3	81.3	85.3	77.5	77.5	70.0	$16,307	$1,731	$14,575
Albany Middle School	Public	6-8	1700 Cordell Ave	Albany	31705	Dougherty County	Dougherty County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 431-3325	792	51	15.5	100.0%	31 (3.9%)	712 (89.9%)	38 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.4%)	21.6	461^st of 584 public middle schools	21.1%		19.6	482^nd of 588 public middle schools	18.0%	21		14.9	15.0	13.3	12.0	9.9	35.9	30.2	18.8	$14,652	$2,150	$12,502
Radium Springs Middle School	Public	6-8	2600 Radium Springs Rd	Albany	31705	Dougherty County	Dougherty County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 431-3346	747	53	13.9	100.0%	14 (1.9%)	682 (91.3%)	37 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (1.9%)	8.3	565^th of 584 public middle schools	3.3%		7.9	568^th of 588 public middle schools	3.4%	3		7.7	9.0	9.8	5.0	8.8	10.7	9.1	8.3	$16,504	$2,330	$14,174
Lee County Middle School East	Public	6-8	185 Firetower Rd	Leesburg	31763	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 903-3500	630	44	14.3	64.6%	349 (55.4%)	204 (32.4%)	36 (5.7%)	20 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.2%)	60.5	204^th of 584 public middle schools	65.1%		67.3	163^rd of 588 public middle schools	72.3%	41	93.1	42.8	49.7	41.9	30.8	48.7	54.4	26.5	36.3	$12,359	$538	$11,821
Lee County Middle School West	Public	6-8	190 Smithville Rd N	Leesburg	31763	Lee County	Lee County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 903-2140	778	51	15.1	57.2%	415 (53.3%)	256 (32.9%)	33 (4.2%)	30 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (5.7%)	69.6	151^st of 584 public middle schools	74.1%		74.8	126^th of 588 public middle schools	78.6%	25	97.9	46.5	40.1	44.8	47.3	45.5	66.4	39.2	43.2	$11,570	$560	$11,010
Terrell Middle School	Public	6-8	201 Greenwave Blvd	Dawson	39842	Terrell County	Terrell County	No	No	No	Yes	(229) 995-2828	215	18	11.6	100.0%	6 (2.8%)	198 (92.1%)	10 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	15.5	510^th of 584 public middle schools	12.7%		14.9	517^th of 588 public middle schools	12.1%	7		30.2	13.0	27.6	11.1	7.2	18.4	7.9	5.3	$22,045	$5,049	$16,997

Frequently Asked Questions about Merry Acres Middle School

Is Merry Acres Middle School a good school?

Merry Acres Middle School ranks in the bottom 20.4% of Georgia middle schools.

What is the racial makeup of Merry Acres Middle School?

Students at Merry Acres Middle School are 93% African American, 2% Hispanic, 2% White, 2% Two or more races.

What district is Merry Acres Middle School in?

Dougherty County

What high school do graduates of Merry Acres Middle School attend?

Students who attend Merry Acres Middle School usually go on to attend Westover High School

How many students attend Merry Acres Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 807 students attended Merry Acres 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 Georgia 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.