Merritt Creek Academy, Duluth MN

Original Research by School Decision on Merritt Creek Academy

Merritt Creek Academy, which is part of the Duluth Public School District, is an alternative school serving kindergarten through twelfth grade. As an alternative school, its purpose is to serve students whose needs are not well met in a traditional school setting. The school’s enrollment is modest for a K-12 campus, and it draws students from across Duluth, a mid-sized port city on Lake Superior that serves as the regional hub for northeastern Minnesota. Duluth has a mix of older residential neighborhoods on hillsides overlooking the lake, a tourist-oriented waterfront in Canal Park, and a working port that handles coal, iron ore, and grain. The city’s population has been relatively stable in recent years, with growth focused more on revitalizing existing areas and tourism infrastructure than on new subdivisions.

The student body at Merritt Creek Academy is overwhelmingly white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a key indicator of a high-poverty school population. Data on students with individualized education programs (IEPs) and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school about the availability of special education and language support services.

State testing data for the most recent year is present but shows very low proficiency rates in both math and reading across most tested grade levels. In mathematics, proficiency rates were reported at zero for most grades, with small pockets of students reaching the bar in grades four and seven. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: most grade levels showed no students meeting the proficiency standard, with a modest share of fourth graders scoring proficient. Science results for grades five and eight were suppressed due to small testing populations, though participation rates were complete. The overall picture is that academic attainment on state assessments is very low. A single year of data is available, so there is no trend to compare. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages performance across all tested subjects and grades, falls in the bottom quartile relative to districts in St. Louis County. Because Merritt Creek Academy serves a population that has struggled in conventional settings, a parent or guardian evaluating this school would want to ask directly about the school’s academic model, how it measures student growth beyond state tests, and what its approach is for moving students toward grade-level proficiency over time.

The school does not serve a traditional high school population in the conventional sense, and graduation rate data was not available. Parents considering Merritt Creek Academy for high school students should ask about graduation requirements, credit earning, and post-secondary pathways. The district brief did not turn up any major recent changes or initiatives to share, so that context is absent.

For families in Duluth, housing costs are moderate relative to the state and nation. The city has a mix of older homes and some newer development. The Duluth Public School District is the largest in the region, and Merritt Creek Academy is one of its specialized placements. A family considering this school should understand that it is designed for students who need an alternative approach, and the test results reflect a population that arrives with significant academic gaps. The school’s strength likely lies in its ability to serve students who have not succeeded elsewhere, but the academic outcomes as measured by state tests are very weak, and any parent would want a thorough conversation with the school about their child’s specific plan before enrolling.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 5 students · Class of 2021

The federal source does not publish a graduation rate for cohorts this small. The cohort size is shown for context.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

649 schools plotted. 88 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 59% · ▼ 59 pts below district

▼ 55 pts below state median · ▼ 56 pts below county median

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 57% · ▼ 42 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 45% · ▼ 45 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 37% · ▼ 37 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 43% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 38% · ▼ 37 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 51% · ▼ 51 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 53% · ▼ 29 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 66% · ▼ 66 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median · ▼ 58 pts below county median

Grade 60%

School 0% · District 62% · ▼ 61 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 53% · ▼ 44 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Grade 80%

School 0% · District 52% · ▼ 52 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

This schoolDULUTH PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT, 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.