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Merritt Elementary

Q: Is Merritt Elementary a good school?

Merritt Elementary ranks 304 th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

304^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 872 Minnesota Elementary Schools

Better than 65% of Minnesota elementary schools

Summary

Merritt Elementary is a public elementary school located in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 332 students. The school is part of the Mountain Iron-Buhl School District, which is ranked 160 out of 446 districts in Minnesota and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Merritt Elementary has consistently performed above the state and district averages in both math and reading proficiency on the MCA-III assessments over the past few years. In 2024-2025, the school's math proficiency for all grades was 52.25%, compared to 45.48% for the district and 45.21% for the state, while its reading proficiency was 57.95%, compared to 52.35% for the district and 49.59% for the state. Merritt Elementary's performance is particularly strong in 4th grade math, where 77.5% of students were proficient in 2024-2025, compared to 55.6% statewide. The school has also consistently ranked in the top quartile of Minnesota elementary schools for low socioeconomic status (SES) students and for female students.

Compared to the nearby schools, such as Mesabi East Elementary and Cherry Elementary, Merritt Elementary generally outperforms them in both math and reading proficiency, particularly in the upper elementary grades. This suggests that Merritt Elementary may be providing a more effective educational experience for its students compared to some of the surrounding schools. Additionally, the school's relatively low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 12.4 to 15.5 over the past few years, may contribute to its ability to provide personalized attention and support to students.

354

Students ?

15.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,750

Per pupil spending ?

45.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8659 Unity Drive
Mountain Iron, MN 55768-2012

(218) 735-8271

District: Mountain Iron-Buhl School District

Students who attend Merritt Elementary usually attend:

High:

Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.7%

Two or more races:

8.2%

Hispanic:

3.7%

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Compare Merritt Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 48th percentile in 2015 → 65th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Minnesota average (55% vs 47% meeting standards)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Minnesota median (65th percentile)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school55%

District avg49%

Minnesota avg47%

304^th of 872

Minnesota public elementary schools ?

Top 35%▲ up 18 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to top 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Minnesota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

160^th of 446Mountain Iron-Buhl School District among Minnesota 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	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	66.4	304 of 872	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.8	282 of 881	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	72.8	225 of 845	73.4%	★★★★☆
2022	52.0	472 of 858	45.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.0	546 of 869	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.5	539 of 870	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.5	441 of 847	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2017	64.3	339 of 853	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2016	57.9	421 of 848	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2015	56.7	441 of 840	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	51.8	476 of 826	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	50.4	489 of 824	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2012	50.9	514 of 820	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.1	530 of 814	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.9	570 of 803	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	52.7	446 of 781	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	43.1	560 of 777	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	25.1	663 of 756	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	39.2	506 of 685	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	43.9	462 of 676	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2003	57.1	337 of 674	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	62.7	306 of 799	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.0	225 of 809	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	79.2	128 of 787	83.7%	★★★★☆
2022	56.1	399 of 799	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	44.9	506 of 783	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	555 of 787	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.2	547 of 774	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	75.2	127 of 764	83.4%	★★★★☆
2024	73.3	150 of 793	81.1%	★★★★☆
2023	81.2	82 of 774	89.4%	★★★★☆
2022	54.3	311 of 663	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	52.7	335 of 683	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.5	380 of 740	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	63.8	251 of 728	65.5%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	65.6	288 of 812	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.9	360 of 826	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.1	340 of 799	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	47.5	494 of 808	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.3	516 of 784	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.4	454 of 798	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.1	306 of 779	60.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2025	50.7	372 of 714	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.7	360 of 730	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.2	337 of 712	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	31.6	566 of 725	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.4	624 of 710	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.9	626 of 722	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.9	516 of 712	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)83rd percentile+18 vs school

Male (2025)65th percentile~ school

Female (2025)62nd percentile-3 vs school

White (2025)48th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading58%+8 vs state

Math52%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merritt Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				MCA-III Math (2025)					MCA-III Reading (2025)					Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
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	MCA-III Math 3rd Grade	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 5th Grade	MCA-III Math 6th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 3rd Grade	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 5th Grade	MCA-III Reading 6th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Merritt Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	8659 Unity Drive	Mountain Iron	55768	St. Louis County	Mountain Iron-Buhl School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 735-8271	354	23	15.5	45.2%	307 (86.7%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.2%)	66.4	304^th of 872 public elementary schools	65.1%		67.8	282^nd of 881 public elementary schools	68.0%	22	61.0	77.5	36.2	40.0	52.3	46.3	65.0	67.4	53.1	58.0	$14,750
Parkview Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	506 N 9th Ave W	Virginia	55792	St. Louis County	Rock Ridge Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 742-3802	336	19	17.4	52.4%	253 (75.3%)	10 (3.0%)	11 (3.3%)	2 (0.6%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (15.8%)								(n/a)
North Star Elementary	Public	3-6	411 S 5th Avenue	Virginia	55792	St. Louis County	Rock Ridge Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 742-3943	389	26	14.7	42.2%	305 (78.4%)	8 (2.1%)	12 (3.1%)	3 (0.8%)	20 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (10.5%)	55.8	417^th of 872 public elementary schools	52.2%		59.5	378^th of 881 public elementary schools	57.1%	39	56.2	53.7	21.1	28.6	39.8	53.3	54.2	62.2	58.9	57.1
Laurentian Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1409 Progress Pkwy	Eveleth	55734	St. Louis County	Rock Ridge Public Schools	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(218) 735-6202	488	34	14.5	42.2%	417 (85.5%)	9 (1.8%)	14 (2.9%)	3 (0.6%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (7.4%)	72.9	231^st of 872 public elementary schools	73.5%		75.8	188^th of 881 public elementary schools	78.7%	43	66.2	60.3	43.7	51.6	54.5	50.8	57.1	69.8	67.7	62.0
Cherry Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	3943 Tamminen Rd	Iron	55751	St. Louis County	St. Louis County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 258-8991	297	23	12.8	38.0%	263 (88.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (8.1%)	56.5	407^th of 872 public elementary schools	53.3%		50.7	486^th of 881 public elementary schools	44.8%	79	51.7	55.3	26.3	34.1	40.9	44.8	50.0	57.9	72.7	57.7	$10,430
Vaughan-Steffensrud Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	1000 1st Ave NE	Chisholm	55719	St. Louis County	Chisholm Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 254-5726	207	16	12.6	64.7%	173 (83.6%)	2 (1.0%)	11 (5.3%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (9.2%)								(n/a)	41.7				41.7	45.8				45.8	$13,037
Mesabi East Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	601 N 1st St W	Aurora	55705	St. Louis County	Mesabi East School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 229-3321	470	32	14.8	49.8%	403 (85.7%)	2 (0.4%)	9 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (8.9%)	46.7	503^rd of 872 public elementary schools	42.3%		49.2	500^th of 881 public elementary schools	43.2%	3	71.7	51.7	14.5	28.3	40.8	56.7	32.8	53.5	46.4	47.8	$12,740
Washington Elementary	Public	K-1	2100 12th Ave E	Hibbing	55746	St. Louis County	Hibbing Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 208-0843	310	28	11.0	59.4%	245 (79.0%)	11 (3.5%)	10 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	40 (12.9%)								(n/a)											$13,532
Greenhaven Elementary	Public	2-3	323 E 37th St	Hibbing	55746	St. Louis County	Hibbing Public School District	No	No	No	Yes	(218) 208-0844	312	20	15.6	58.3%	253 (81.1%)	9 (2.9%)	18 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.3%)								(n/a)	65.1				65.1	43.5				43.5	$13,969

Frequently Asked Questions about Merritt Elementary

How many students attend Merritt Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 354 students attended Merritt Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Merritt Elementary?

Students at Merritt Elementary are 87% White, 8% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 1% American Indian.

Is Merritt Elementary a good school?

Merritt Elementary ranks 304^th of 872 Minnesota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Merritt Elementary attend?

Students who attend Merritt Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Mountain Iron-Buhl Secondary

What district is Merritt Elementary in?

Mountain Iron-Buhl School District

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Schools in Mountain Iron, MN

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Minnesota 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.