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Merrill Elementary School

Q: Is Merrill Elementary School a good school?

Merrill Elementary School ranks 1040 th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 3-5

1040^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,737 Illinois Elementary Schools

Better than 40% of Illinois elementary schools

Summary

Merrill Elementary School in Rock Falls serves 258 students in grades 3–5, in an area that includes several nearby schools serving the same grades. Its 2025–2026 results show a sharp contrast by grade: fourth- and fifth-grade results often exceeded state levels, while third grade fell well below them. The clearest concern is third grade, where ELA proficiency was 28% versus 48% statewide, and math proficiency was 33% versus 49%.

Compared with nearby schools, Merrill’s overall ELA result was close to the average for Tampico Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School and Washington Elementary School: 49% at Merrill versus a peer average of about 49%. Its 37% in math was below those schools’ average of about 40%. Overall, Merrill was below the state in both ELA (49% versus 56%) and math (37% versus 40%), but its math result was above the Rock Falls Education Service District 13 average of 33%. Merrill’s fifth-grade science result was 49%, just above the state’s 48%, but below the nearby peer average of about 51%.

Scores have improved over the three years reported: ELA rose from 30% in 2023–2024 to 49% in 2025–2026, and math from 24% to 37%. Even so, SchoolDigger ranked Merrill 1,040th of 1,737 Illinois schools in 2025–2026, at the 40th percentile with 2 stars; the district was at the 25th percentile with 1 star. Merrill’s 2024–2025 student–teacher ratio was 13.1, close to the nearby-school average of 12.9. In 2024–2025, 78% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible, a higher share than the 67% average at the three nearby schools serving grades 3–5. SchoolDigger’s subgroup rankings also show different statewide standings: Hispanic Students ranked at the 65th percentile in 2024–2025, compared with Merrill’s overall 40th percentile, while Female Students ranked at the 19th percentile in 2025–2026, below the school’s overall 40th-percentile standing.

258

Students ?

13.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,654

Per pupil spending ?

77.9%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

95.9%

Measles protection (all grades) (2025-26)

600 4th Ave
Rock Falls, IL 61071-1229

(815) 625-4634

District: Rock Falls Education Service District 13

Students who attend Merrill Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Rock Falls Middle School
High:	Rock Falls Township High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

65.1%

Hispanic:

30.2%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated Illinois elementary schools

Compare Merrill Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 35th percentile in 2016 → 40th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school45%

District avg45%

Illinois avg48%

1,040^th of 1,737

Illinois public elementary schools ?

Bottom 40%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From bottom 35% (2016) to bottom 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Illinois Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

550^th of 738Rock Falls Education Service District 13 among Illinois 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	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	38.5	1040 of 1737	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.9	1232 of 2056	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.0	1071 of 2067	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.4	1227 of 2077	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.5	1139 of 2082	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.2	891 of 1948	54.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.3	1332 of 2086	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.0	1448 of 2037	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	29.6	1422 of 2044	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.8	1325 of 2046	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	21.2	1679 of 2052	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.2	1418 of 2093	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.8	1536 of 2167	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	57.8	1089 of 2166	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2011	67.1	839 of 2147	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2010	73.6	613 of 2139	71.3%	★★★★☆
2009	68.6	781 of 2120	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	72.8	632 of 2092	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	68.4	769 of 2095	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	66.5	829 of 2086	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	65.2	845 of 2022	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2004	52.8	1168 of 2030	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2003	51.2	1192 of 2020	41.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	32.0	701 of 1049	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.1	504 of 886	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.3	608 of 907	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	22.1	1039 of 1286	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.4	1115 of 1942	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	47.1	938 of 1942	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.2	1072 of 1957	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.6	1051 of 1970	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	41.8	889 of 1680	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.3	1316 of 2019	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.0	1449 of 1964	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	59.8	340 of 982	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.7	201 of 959	79.0%	★★★★☆
2023	64.5	240 of 970	75.3%	★★★★☆
2022	58.2	296 of 954	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	74.4	95 of 742	87.2%	★★★★☆
2019	30.3	707 of 955	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	768 of 938	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	48.2	479 of 1001	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.7	849 of 1800	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.1	542 of 1793	69.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	48.2	860 of 1808	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.8	619 of 1763	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.7	531 of 1514	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.3	1023 of 1816	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.0	1061 of 1765	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	34.6	861 of 1311	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.4	1212 of 1947	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.4	1054 of 1959	46.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	34.2	1231 of 1984	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.2	1065 of 1977	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	48.1	773 of 1707	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.6	1225 of 2019	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.7	1318 of 1972	33.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2025	22.5	1041 of 1292	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.4	873 of 1195	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.5	928 of 1156	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	44.2	497 of 1113	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.2	375 of 640	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	26.4	948 of 1194	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.4	389 of 763	49.0%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Illinois percentile	Rating
2026	19.7	984 of 1149	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.6	1236 of 1389	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	1143 of 1392	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.2	1269 of 1419	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.1	1197 of 1425	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.9	906 of 1308	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.3	1196 of 1462	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.8	1283 of 1463	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)65th percentile+25 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)52nd percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)34th percentile-6 vs school

Disabled (2025)33rd percentile-7 vs school

Special Education (2025)19th percentile-21 vs school

Female (2026)19th percentile-21 vs school

White (2026)14th percentile-26 vs school

By subject vs Illinois (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts49%-7 vs state

Science49%~ state avg

Mathematics37%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Merrill Elementary School

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ISA Science (2026)		IAR English Language Arts (2026)							IAR Mathematics (2026)							Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2026)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	ISA Science 5th Grade	ISA Science 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 3rd Grade	IAR English Language Arts 4th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 5th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 6th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 7th Grade	IAR English Language Arts 8th Grade	IAR English Language Arts All Grades	IAR Mathematics 3rd Grade	IAR Mathematics 4th Grade	IAR Mathematics 5th Grade	IAR Mathematics 6th Grade	IAR Mathematics 7th Grade	IAR Mathematics 8th Grade	IAR Mathematics All Grades	Vaccination: Measles protection (all grades)	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Merrill Elementary School	Public	3-5	600 4th Ave	Rock Falls	61071	Whiteside County	Rock Falls Education Service District 13	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-4634	258	20	13.1	77.9%	168 (65.1%)	3 (1.2%)	78 (30.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	38.5	1040^th of 1737 public elementary schools	40.1%		38.9	1232^nd of 2056 public elementary schools	40.1%	192	48.6		27.8	63.9	60.8				49.2	33.0	37.3	43.2				37.4	95.9%		$15,654	$1,186	$14,468
Dillon Elementary School	Public	K-2	1901 8th Ave	Rock Falls	61071	Whiteside County	Rock Falls Education Service District 13	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-3356	278	21	13.0	78.4%	168 (60.4%)	11 (4.0%)	77 (27.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.2%)								(n/a)																	95.9%		$15,550	$1,186	$14,364
East Coloma - Nelson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1602 Dixon Rd	Rock Falls	61071	Whiteside County	East Coloma - Nelson CESD 20	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-4400	214	18	11.8	52.8%	156 (72.9%)	1 (0.5%)	49 (22.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.7%)	58.9	691^st of 1737 public elementary schools	60.2%		68.6	629^th of 2056 public elementary schools	69.4%	62	44.0	50.0	41.7	76.5	60.0	71.4	60.7	50.0	59.3		64.7	44.0	47.6	50.0		44.4	97.5%		$20,745	$858	$19,887
Lincoln Elementary School	Public	3-5	1501 E 6th St	Sterling	61081	Whiteside County	Sterling CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-1449	277	22	12.5	70.4%	160 (57.8%)	6 (2.2%)	86 (31.0%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (7.9%)	31.1	1169^th of 1737 public elementary schools	32.7%		49.3	1012^th of 2056 public elementary schools	50.8%	157	48.3		38.5	45.9	48.3				44.1	35.4	42.4	34.8				37.4	96.3%		$17,887	$1,059	$16,828
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	806 E Le Fevre Rd	Sterling	61081	Whiteside County	Sterling CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-6402	450	30	14.9	69.6%	246 (54.7%)	10 (2.2%)	166 (36.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.0%)								(n/a)																	94.5%		$14,965	$1,059	$13,906
Washington Elementary School	Public	3-5	815 W Le Fevre Rd	Sterling	61081	Whiteside County	Sterling CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-2372	394	32	12.3	60.9%	225 (57.1%)	7 (1.8%)	132 (33.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.3%)	36.2	1072^nd of 1737 public elementary schools	38.3%		49.7	1007^th of 2056 public elementary schools	51.0%	65	45.7		44.7	53.4	49.2				49.1	52.3	36.8	32.0				40.5	96.1%		$15,956	$1,059	$14,897
Franklin Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1510 E 25th St	Sterling	61081	Whiteside County	Sterling CUSD 5	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-5755	407	30	13.5	55.3%	233 (57.2%)	10 (2.5%)	134 (32.9%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.1%)								(n/a)																	94.5%		$17,076	$1,059	$16,017
Montmorency CCSD #145	Public	K-8	9415 Hoover Rd	Rock Falls	61071	Whiteside County	Montmorency CCSD 145	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 625-6616	209	21	9.9	37.8%	166 (79.4%)	1 (0.5%)	34 (16.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)	63	614^th of 1737 public elementary schools	64.7%		50.5	998^th of 2056 public elementary schools	51.5%	384	47.6	73.3	87.5	59.4		57.1	75.0	93.3	65.4	100.0	56.3		35.7	45.8	66.7	50.7	95.8%		$15,023	$663	$14,360
Tampico Elementary School	Public	3-5	304 W Kimball Rd	Tampico	61283	Whiteside County	Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico CUSD3	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 438-2255	156	12	13.0	70.5%	132 (84.6%)	2 (1.3%)	12 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (6.4%)	45.6	913^th of 1737 public elementary schools	47.4%		67	666^th of 2056 public elementary schools	67.6%	247	59.6		56.3	58.8	48.1				54.3	48.9	43.1	30.8				40.7			$15,246	$1,158	$14,088
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	2-3	800 4th Ave	Dixon	61021	Lee County	Dixon Unified School District 170	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(815) 934-9661	344	25	13.7	58.7%	269 (78.2%)	19 (5.5%)	17 (4.9%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (10.5%)								(n/a)			31.4						31.4	37.1						37.1	96.4%		$18,113	$2,075	$16,039

Frequently Asked Questions about Merrill Elementary School

How many students attend Merrill Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 258 students attended Merrill Elementary School.

What district is Merrill Elementary School in?

Rock Falls Education Service District 13

What is the racial makeup of Merrill Elementary School?

Students at Merrill Elementary School are 65% White, 30% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

What schools do graduates of Merrill Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Merrill Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Rock Falls Middle School
High : Rock Falls Township High School

Is Merrill Elementary School a good school?

Merrill Elementary School ranks 1040^th of 1737 Illinois elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Merrill Elementary School!

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Latest Illinois data All new data »

2025–26 school spending dataNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesNewOct 30, 2026

2025–26 ACT, IAR, ISA & PreACT Secure test scoresNewOct 30, 2026

2013–14 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board 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.