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Merrill High School

Public Grades 9-12
575th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 739 Michigan High Schools
Better than 22% of Michigan high schools
Summary

Merrill High School is a public high school located in Merrill, Michigan, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 177 students. The school is part of the Merrill Community Schools district, which is ranked 412 out of 613 districts in Michigan and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Merrill High School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Michigan high schools, with rankings ranging from 373 to 624 out of 743 schools over the past 10 years. It has maintained a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of this period, indicating below-average performance. The school's performance for specific student subgroups, such as female, male, white, and low socioeconomic status students, is also concerning, as it has ranked in the bottom half of Michigan high schools in recent years. Merrill High School's four-year graduation rates have fluctuated between 81.7% and 98.1%, with dropout rates ranging from 0.0% to 8.1%, indicating mixed results. Additionally, the school has consistently high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 25.0% to 30.8%, significantly higher than the state average.

When comparing Merrill High School to nearby schools, such as Swan Valley High School, it becomes clear that the school is underperforming compared to its peers. Swan Valley High School, located about 13 miles away, consistently ranks in the top half of Michigan high schools and outperforms Merrill High School on academic measures. Despite increased per-student spending at Merrill High School, from $9,457 in 2020-2021 to $14,342 in 2023-2024, these additional resources have not yet translated into improved academic outcomes or school performance.

165
Students ?
17.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$14,342
Per pupil spending ?
51.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 555 W Alice St
       Merrill, MI  48637-8757

(989) 643-7231

District: Merrill Community Schools


Feeder schools for Merrill High School:

Elementary:    Merrill Elementary School
Middle:    Merrill Middle School
Racial breakdown:

White:
91.5%
Hispanic:
7.9%
Two or more races:
0.6%
 See top rated Michigan high schools

 Compare Merrill High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 55th percentile in 2015 → 22nd in 2025
Strengths
98% graduate in 4 years — above the Michigan average (83%)
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Michigan average (25% vs 44% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (22nd percentile)
!Ranking has slipped — down 33 percentile points since 2015
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school25%
District avg25%
Michigan avg44%
575th of 739
Michigan public high schools ?
Bottom 22%▼ down 33 pts since 2015
From top 45% (2015) to bottom 22% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Michigan High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
412th of 613Merrill Community Schools among Michigan 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202521.1575 of 73922.2%★☆☆☆☆
202415.7624 of 74316.0%★☆☆☆☆
202330.0520 of 73529.3%★☆☆☆☆
202230.6423 of 53120.3%★☆☆☆☆
202119.3485 of 56113.5%★☆☆☆☆
201915.5563 of 66615.5%★☆☆☆☆
201830.2550 of 82433.3%★★☆☆☆
201743.2438 of 83547.5%★★☆☆☆
201641.7472 of 85244.6%★★☆☆☆
201556.7373 of 83255.2%★★★☆☆
201451.6421 of 79947.3%★★☆☆☆
201329.7556 of 80530.9%★★☆☆☆
201257.7365 of 77352.8%★★★☆☆
201165.1344 of 78456.1%★★★☆☆
201070.0285 of 76562.7%★★★☆☆
200960.6376 of 75450.1%★★★☆☆
200851.0455 of 75039.3%★★☆☆☆
200761.9350 of 76754.4%★★★☆☆
200642.9481 of 70531.8%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202515.9527 of 62916.2%★☆☆☆☆
202412.5547 of 61911.6%★☆☆☆☆
20239.2561 of 6118.2%☆☆☆☆☆
202224.2368 of 41611.5%★☆☆☆☆
202128.7352 of 46223.8%★☆☆☆☆
201940.7341 of 55438.4%★★☆☆☆
201824.8522 of 71026.5%★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202518.7530 of 63516.5%★☆☆☆☆
202422.3531 of 65418.8%★☆☆☆☆
202337.6387 of 61437.0%★★☆☆☆
202127.6328 of 41721.3%★☆☆☆☆
201827.9524 of 75530.6%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
202412.0570 of 63310.0%★☆☆☆☆
202343.8345 of 61143.5%★★☆☆☆
201826.7516 of 70727.0%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankMichigan percentileRating
20257.9602 of 6395.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20244.9615 of 6383.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202324.5501 of 64722.6%★☆☆☆☆
202224.8406 of 49217.5%★☆☆☆☆
202114.4472 of 5168.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20198.5541 of 5827.0%☆☆☆☆☆
201819.7556 of 70821.5%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)17th percentile-6 vs school
Female (2025)16th percentile-6 vs school
Male (2024)10th percentile-6 vs school
White (2025)6th percentile-16 vs school
By subject vs Michigan (2024-2025) ?
Science28%-7 vs state
Evidence-Based Reading and Writing28%-27 vs state
Social Studies20%-22 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Merrill High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 165 students attended Merrill High School.

Merrill High School ranks in the bottom 22.2% of Michigan high schools.

Students at Merrill High School are 92% White, 8% Hispanic.

Merrill High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Merrill Elementary School
Middle : Merrill 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 Michigan 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.





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