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Merrill Middle School

Q: Is Merrill Middle School a good school?

Merrill Middle School ranks 562 nd of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

562^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 896 Michigan Middle Schools

Better than 37% of Michigan middle schools

Summary

Merrill Middle School serves 97 students in grades 6-8 in the small, rural community of Merrill, Michigan, as part of Merrill Community Schools.

Merrill Middle School has been on a steady upward trajectory, climbing from the 8th percentile statewide in 2020-2021 to the 37th percentile today—a sign of real, if gradual, progress. The school shines in English Language Arts, where 8th graders hit 58.5% proficiency on the PSAT, close to the state average of 64.8%. It also does notably well supporting students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, who rank in the 51st-55th percentile statewide. However, math is a serious concern. Only 7.32% of 8th graders scored proficient on the PSAT math exam, compared to a 33.2% state average—a staggering 26-point gap. This weakness is somewhat inconsistent across grades (7th graders actually beat the state average), which may point to curriculum alignment issues as students advance. Chronic absenteeism is also trending the wrong way, rising from 15.2% in 2020-2021 to 25.0% today, which likely impacts learning.

Perhaps the most striking finding is the school's spending. At $18,388 per student, Merrill spends far more than any nearby school—53% more than Hemlock Middle School ($11,989), which sits just 5 miles away yet ranks in the 83rd percentile. Even high-performing Jefferson Middle School in Midland Public Schools spends 35% less per student while achieving dramatically better results. Merrill's small class sizes (a 12.1:1 student-teacher ratio) and high spending haven't translated into top-tier outcomes, suggesting that instructional quality and school culture—not just resources—are the key drivers of success. The good news: with only 30-35 students per grade, even modest improvements can shift the school's metrics quickly, and the four-year upward trend in overall ranking offers hope for continued gains.

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,388

Per pupil spending ?

52.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

755 W Alice St
Merrill, MI 48637-8728

(989) 643-7231

District: Merrill Community Schools

Students who attend Merrill Middle School usually attend:

High:

Merrill High School

Feeder schools for Merrill Middle School:

Elementary:

Merrill Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

97.9%

Hispanic:

1.0%

Two or more races:

1.0%

See top rated Michigan middle schools

Compare Merrill Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 8th percentile in 2021 → 37th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 37th (2026) from a 8th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Michigan average (31% vs 41% meeting standards)

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

!Mathematics scores 26 pts below the Michigan average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school31%

District avg31%

Michigan avg41%

562^nd of 896

Michigan public middle schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 33 pts since 2016

From top 30% (2016) to bottom 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Michigan Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

306^th of 625Merrill 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	35.4	562 of 896	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.7	547 of 890	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.4	539 of 897	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.6	630 of 883	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	611 of 776	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.4	622 of 675	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	38.6	482 of 792	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.2	452 of 838	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	49.4	354 of 821	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	65.7	264 of 894	70.5%	★★★★☆
2015	50.1	458 of 919	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	65.8	283 of 921	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	52.6	444 of 919	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.8	331 of 900	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	53.2	528 of 858	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	63.0	423 of 851	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	60.5	435 of 847	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	64.6	353 of 839	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.9	306 of 823	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	60.8	387 of 806	52.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	30.4	544 of 789	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.7	437 of 789	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.4	542 of 771	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.5	606 of 770	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.8	498 of 521	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	36.1	422 of 658	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.3	336 of 794	57.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	35.7	528 of 834	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.9	407 of 832	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.4	374 of 836	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.6	597 of 825	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	39.4	433 of 691	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.0	421 of 672	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	45.4	461 of 815	43.4%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	41.8	443 of 813	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	33.3	521 of 798	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.2	467 of 786	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.8	570 of 776	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.6	403 of 639	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.9	499 of 797	37.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Michigan percentile	Rating
2026	20.2	573 of 687	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.2	551 of 696	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	542 of 701	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	608 of 688	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	579 of 638	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.3	566 of 577	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.5	460 of 624	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.4	450 of 678	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2026)46th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)37th percentile~ school

Female (2026)31st percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)17th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Michigan (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies42%-8 vs state

Science29%-10 vs state

Math27%-5 vs state

English Language Arts27%-11 vs state

Mathematics7%-26 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merrill Middle 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 Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				PSAT English Language Arts (2026)	PSAT Mathematics (2026)	M-Step English Language Arts (2026)			M-Step Math (2026)			M-Step Science (2026)		M-Step Social Studies (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 (2025)	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	PSAT English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSAT Mathematics 8th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 5th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 6th Grade	M-Step English Language Arts 7th Grade	M-Step Math 5th Grade	M-Step Math 6th Grade	M-Step Math 7th Grade	M-Step Science 5th Grade	M-Step Science 8th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 5th Grade	M-Step Social Studies 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Merrill Middle School	Public	6-8	755 W Alice St	Merrill	48637	Saginaw County	Merrill Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 643-7231	97	8	12.1	52.6%	95 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	35.4	562^nd of 896 public middle schools	37.3%		36.7	547^th of 890 public middle schools	38.5%	15	58.5	7.3		29.4	23.1		22.2	34.6		29.3		42.5	$18,388	$1,637	$16,751
Hemlock Middle School	Public	5-8	535 N Maple St	Hemlock	48626	Saginaw County	Hemlock Public School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 642-5253	350	20	17.1	24.9%	324 (92.6%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.6%)	77.9	153^rd of 896 public middle schools	82.9%		76.6	159^th of 890 public middle schools	82.1%	6	71.6	45.1	38.6	46.1	43.8	26.3	50.7	46.1	29.8	51.0	19.3	62.7	$11,989	$678	$11,310
Swan Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	453 Van Wormer Rd	Saginaw	48609	Saginaw County	Swan Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 921-2601	408	23	17.9	32.1%	307 (75.2%)	6 (1.5%)	66 (16.2%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.1%)	89.7	71^st of 896 public middle schools	92.1%		85.2	100^th of 890 public middle schools	88.8%	29	86.0	57.3		54.4	58.4		52.2	46.7		64.0		70.7	$13,168	$654	$12,514
Bullock Creek Middle School	Public	6-8	644 S Badour Rd	Midland	48640	Midland County	Bullock Creek School District	No	No	No	No	(989) 631-9260	348	21	16.2	33.3%	316 (90.8%)	4 (1.1%)	13 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.6%)	61.2	285^th of 896 public middle schools	68.2%		76.2	164^th of 890 public middle schools	81.6%	121	61.0	32.2		44.5	49.1		30.1	28.4		44.9		57.6	$13,648	$965	$12,683
TS Nurnberger Middle School	Public	6-8	312 Union St	Saint Louis	48880	Gratiot County	St. Louis Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 681-5155	217	15	14.4	71.9%	177 (81.6%)	3 (1.4%)	32 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.3%)	24.6	655^th of 896 public middle schools	26.9%		38.4	535^th of 890 public middle schools	39.9%	120	57.4	20.4		19.0	23.0		13.9	18.0		24.1		29.6	$16,547	$1,444	$15,104
Donald L Pavlik Middle School	Public	6-8	1700 Pine Ave	Alma	48801	Gratiot County	Alma Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 463-3111	457	25	18.1	73.5%	381 (83.4%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (12.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	15 (3.3%)	53.3	377^th of 896 public middle schools	57.9%		45.5	469^th of 890 public middle schools	47.3%	92	72.5	26.2		40.9	33.1		30.8	20.8		42.3		49.7	$12,873	$764	$12,109
White Pine Middle School	Public	6-8	505 N Center Rd	Saginaw	48638	Saginaw County	Saginaw Township Community Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 797-1814	1,019	62	16.3	48.4%	498 (48.9%)	214 (21.0%)	204 (20.0%)	20 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.3%)	80 (7.9%)	44.2	478^th of 896 public middle schools	46.7%		44.1	489^th of 890 public middle schools	45.1%	11	56.5	26.0		31.4	37.0		21.3	23.9		36.6		49.8	$16,412	$1,230	$15,183
Ashley Middle School	Public	5-8	104 N New St	Ashley	48806	Gratiot County	Ashley Community Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(989) 847-4000	54	5	10.9	77.8%	45 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (7.4%)								(n/a)			1478.2	20.0		25.0	1571.4		33.3		1474.2		$15,855	$1,899	$13,956
Northeast Middle School	Public	6-8	1305 E Sugnet Rd	Midland	48642	Midland County	Midland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 923-5772	789	49	16.1	50.7%	662 (83.9%)	22 (2.8%)	49 (6.2%)	7 (0.9%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	41 (5.2%)	85.8	103^rd of 896 public middle schools	88.5%		80.6	134^th of 890 public middle schools	84.9%	31	77.8	58.3		60.1	58.8		40.6	44.4		58.3		69.0	$14,438	$347	$14,091
Jefferson Middle School	Public	6-8	800 W Chapel Ln	Midland	48640	Midland County	Midland Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(989) 923-5873	919	52	17.8	27.7%	762 (82.9%)	11 (1.2%)	53 (5.8%)	49 (5.3%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	39 (4.2%)	92	62^nd of 896 public middle schools	93.1%		92.4	53^rd of 890 public middle schools	94.0%	9	80.0	64.2		64.5	63.8		50.9	62.3		62.3		66.2	$13,598	$349	$13,250

Frequently Asked Questions about Merrill Middle School

How many students attend Merrill Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 97 students attended Merrill Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Merrill Middle School attend?

Students who attend Merrill Middle School usually go on to attend Merrill High School

What district is Merrill Middle School in?

Merrill Community Schools

Is Merrill Middle School a good school?

Merrill Middle School ranks 562^nd of 896 Michigan middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Merrill Middle School?

Students at Merrill Middle School are 98% White, 1% Hispanic, 1% Two or more races.

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MIMichigan Middle School Rankings

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Schools in Merrill, MI

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Latest Michigan data All new data »

2025–26 M-Step, PSAT & SAT test scoresSep 4, 2026

2024–25 school spending dataJun 13, 2026

2024–25 dropout rates & graduation ratesJun 13, 2026

2024–25 attendance dataJan 6, 2026

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.