Merrill Elementary

Merrill Elementary is a public elementary school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, serving 242 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Oshkosh Area School District, which is ranked 282 out of 428 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Merrill Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Wisconsin elementary schools over the past 10 years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's academic performance, as measured by the Forward Exam, is significantly below the district and state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2023-2024, only 13.33% of 3rd-grade students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 43.17% for the district and 52.07% for the state. Merrill Elementary's performance is particularly low in mathematics, with only 16.67% of 3rd-grade students and 29.79% of 5th-grade students proficient or better. The school's performance is also below average in social studies and science.

Merrill Elementary's performance is especially low for certain student subgroups, such as its White, African American, English Language Learner, and Special Education students, who all rank in the bottom 25% to 40% of Wisconsin elementary schools. The school also has consistently high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 6.9% in 2020-2021 to 22.6% in 2022-2023, which is significantly higher than the district and state averages. These challenges set Merrill Elementary apart from nearby schools within the Oshkosh Area School District, such as Oakwood Elementary and Webster Stanley Elementary, which consistently outperform Merrill Elementary on academic measures and have lower rates of chronic absenteeism.