Merrill Elementary School, Merrill MI

Original Research by School Decision on Merrill Elementary School

Merrill Elementary School sits in the heart of a small Saginaw County farming village along M-46, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Merrill Community Schools. The village itself is compact, with a single stoplight, a handful of churches, the village office, and the Merrill District Library anchoring civic life. The Saginaw Valley Rail Trail, a paved multi-use path stretching across the county, runs directly through town and connects Merrill to Hemlock and St. Charles. Merrill Technologies Group and Merrill Tool and Machine are the village's prominent employers, set against a backdrop of agricultural land and small local businesses. The population has been in gradual decline, and no major residential developments appear on the horizon. For families, this means a quiet, rural setting with stable, affordable housing. Home values in the 48637 zip code sit well below both state and national benchmarks, making ownership relatively accessible on a moderate income.

The school is small, with roughly two classrooms per grade level. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly white. IEP and English learner data were not reported, so those population figures are unavailable here. Title I status was also not provided in the data.

On state assessments, Merrill Elementary's results are mixed and vary considerably by grade and subject. Fourth grade stands out as the strongest cohort, with a majority of students reaching proficiency in both English language arts and math. Third grade results land near the middle of the range, with roughly four in ten students proficient in math and a slightly smaller share in ELA. Fifth grade is the weakest performing group. Math proficiency drops sharply at fifth grade, and social studies proficiency is low. Science results for fifth graders fall in between, with a moderate share demonstrating proficiency. Participation rates were not reported for any grade or subject. A parent noticing the fifth-grade dip, particularly in math and social studies, may want to look into this further with the school to understand what is driving the decline and what supports are in place.

When measured against other districts in Saginaw County, Merrill Elementary's overall proficiency sits above the midpoint. This is a reasonably encouraging position for a small rural school with a high proportion of economically disadvantaged students, though the gap between fourth-grade strength and fifth-grade weakness suggests the academic experience is uneven across the building.

Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data were also not available. No information was provided on specific programs, course access, staffing ratios, or discipline. The district brief search did not surface any recent referendums, curriculum changes, or other parent-relevant shifts, so those are absent here rather than overlooked.

For a family weighing Merrill Elementary, the picture is one of a small-town school where class sizes are intimate, the community is tight-knit, and housing is affordable. The academic results are decent at the county level but inconsistent from grade to grade. Families who value a rural setting and a personal school environment will find those here, alongside questions worth asking about how the upper elementary grades are structured and supported.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 340%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 51%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 15 pts above county median

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 9 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 40%

even with state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolMerrill Community Schools, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income59%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income25%Higher-income70%45 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income77%47 pp gap