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Merritt Creek Academy

Q: How many students attend Merritt Creek Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 75 students attended Merritt Creek Academy.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Merritt Creek Academy?

Students at Merritt Creek Academy are 80% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% African American, 4% American Indian, 1% Hispanic.

Public, Alternative Grades K-12

Summary

Merritt Creek Academy is an alternative public school in Duluth, Minnesota, serving 78 students in grades K-12. While the school is part of the Duluth Public School District, which has a 3-star rating, Merritt Creek Academy faces unique challenges compared to nearby schools.

One key difference is Merritt Creek Academy's higher racial diversity, with 79.49% white students, 2.56% African American, 2.56% Hispanic, 6.41% Native American, and 8.97% two or more races. However, this diversity does not translate to higher academic performance. In fact, the school's proficiency rates on standardized tests are significantly lower than the district and state averages, with only 8.62% of students proficient in math and 25.81% in reading. Additionally, Merritt Creek Academy has an extremely high rate of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, at 96.15%, which is much higher than the surrounding schools.

Despite these challenges, Merritt Creek Academy has a relatively low student-teacher ratio of 7.3 students per teacher, lower than the nearby Fond du Lac Ojibwe School, NLA-Carlton, Northern Lights Academy, and other alternative schools in the Northern Lights Academy Cooperative and Duluth Public School District. This suggests that the school may require specialized interventions and support to address the unique needs of its student population and improve academic outcomes.

Students ?

6.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,567

Per pupil spending ?

93.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4000 W 9th St
Duluth, MN 55807-1563

(218) 625-2689

District: Duluth Public School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.0%

Two or more races:

8.0%

African American:

6.7%

See top rated Minnesota public schools

Compare Merritt Creek Academy to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — <1st percentile in 2017 → 8th in 2024

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2017

✓Small classes — about 6 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Minnesota average (12% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Math scores 38 pts below the Minnesota average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg50%

Minnesota avg47%

Not ranked this year

Merritt Creek Academy did not have enough recent test-score data to be ranked. Check the trend below for past years.

182^nd of 446Duluth Public 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	10.4	789 of 881	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.9	711 of 845	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	6.7	795 of 869	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.4	841 of 870	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.2	838 of 853	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	0.4	844 of 848	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	9.1	766 of 840	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.8	781 of 826	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	0.3	822 of 824	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.8	807 of 820	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	0.4	812 of 814	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	6.6	760 of 803	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.5	771 of 781	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	1.5	769 of 777	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.1	755 of 756	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	41.8	481 of 774	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	13.3	633 of 683	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	7.0	722 of 740	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	13.5	701 of 799	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	41.1	319 of 524	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.8	420 of 515	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2023	4.6	704 of 712	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	10.8	502 of 545	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.6	500 of 520	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.5	507 of 521	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.3	526 of 533	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.8	484 of 518	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	0.6	523 of 523	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.6	493 of 508	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	12.8	453 of 516	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	2.0	479 of 488	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.0	460 of 469	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	1.7	397 of 409	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.0	381 of 403	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.6	403 of 406	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	0.9	372 of 387	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2024	20.2	409 of 473	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	4.8	412 of 415	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Minnesota percentile	Rating
2019	10.5	276 of 282	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Special Education (2023)39th percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)38th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2023)12th percentile-4 vs school

White (2023)1st percentile-15 vs school

Middle school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)14th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2019)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Minnesota (2024-2025) ?

Reading16%-34 vs state

Math8%-38 vs state

★

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Schools Near Merritt Creek Academy

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	MCA-III Math 4th Grade	MCA-III Math 7th Grade	MCA-III Math All Grades	MCA-III Reading 4th Grade	MCA-III Reading 7th Grade	MCA-III Reading All Grades	Total
Merritt Creek Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	4000 W 9th St	Duluth	55807	St. Louis County	Duluth Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 625-2689	75	12	6.0	93.3%	60 (80.0%)	5 (6.7%)	1 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (8.0%)								(n/a)	15.4	9.1	7.6	23.1	9.1	15.8	$26,567
Special Education N.P.	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	709 Portia Johnson Dr	Duluth	55811	St. Louis County	Duluth Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 336-8740	25	0		16.0%	24 (96.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.0%)								(n/a)							$7,214
Superior Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	615 Pecan Ave	Duluth	55811	St. Louis County	Duluth Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 336-8955	19	2	9.5	57.9%	16 (84.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (5.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (10.5%)								(n/a)							$30,618
Arrowhead Academy	Public, Alternative	4-12	1918 Arlington Ave N	Duluth	55811	St. Louis County	Duluth Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 625-6766	18	5	3.7	83.3%	9 (50.0%)	3 (16.7%)	1 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (16.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (11.1%)								(n/a)							$27,156
Chester Creek Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	714 1/2 W College St	Duluth	55811	St. Louis County	Duluth Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 216-8325	31	8	4.0	90.3%	18 (58.1%)	3 (9.7%)	2 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (12.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (12.9%)								(n/a)			22.7			34.8	$28,609
Rockridge Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	4849 Ivanhoe St	Duluth	55804	St. Louis County	Duluth Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 336-8955	35	6	5.5	77.1%	22 (62.9%)	1 (2.9%)	1 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (17.1%)								(n/a)			0.0			18.2	$24,830
Bethany Crisis Shelter	Public, Alternative	K-12	4849 Ivanhoe St	Duluth	55804	St. Louis County	Duluth Public School District	No	No	No	No	(218) 336-8955	2	0			1 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)							$17,307
NLA-Carlton	Public, Alternative	3-12	405 School Ave	Carlton	55718	Carlton County	Northern Lights Academy Cooperative	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(218) 878-3060	31	5	5.7	12.9%	23 (74.2%)	2 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (12.9%)								(n/a)			0.0			17.7
Northern Lights Academy	Public, Alternative	K-12	302 14th Street	Cloquet	55720	Carlton County	Northern Lights Academy Cooperative	No	No	No	No	(218) 878-3060	14	2	6.1	85.7%	5 (35.7%)	2 (14.3%)	1 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (21.4%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (21.4%)								(n/a)
Fond du Lac Ojibwe School	Public, Alternative	K-12	49 University Road	Cloquet	55720	Carlton County	Fond du Lac Ojibwe School	(n/a)	No	No	Yes	(218) 878-7242	161	28	5.7	98.1%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	161 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Merritt Creek Academy

How many students attend Merritt Creek Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 75 students attended Merritt Creek Academy.

What district is Merritt Creek Academy in?

Duluth Public School District

What is the racial makeup of Merritt Creek Academy?

Students at Merritt Creek Academy are 80% White, 8% Two or more races, 7% African American, 4% American Indian, 1% Hispanic.

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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.