Pierce Middle School

Q: Is Pierce Middle School a good school?

Pierce Middle School ranks 354 th of 485 Indiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Summary:

Pierce Middle School is a public middle school located in Merrillville, Indiana, serving grades 7-8 with a student population of 919. The school is part of the Merrillville Community School Corporation, which is ranked 268 out of 381 school districts in Indiana and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Pierce Middle School consistently underperforms compared to the state and district averages in both English Language Arts and Math proficiency on the ILEARN assessments. For example, in 2023-2024, only 30.18% of all grades were proficient or better in ELA, compared to the district average of 29.27% and the state average of 41.8% for 7th grade and 42.6% for 8th grade. In Math, only 12.81% of all grades were proficient or better, compared to the district average of 26.67%. The school also has a higher chronic absenteeism rate (18.4% in 2022-2023) and a significantly higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (70.08% in 2022-2023) compared to the surrounding schools.

When comparing Pierce Middle School to other nearby schools, such as Highland Middle School, Michael Grimmer Middle School, and Colonel John Wheeler Middle School, it becomes clear that Pierce Middle School is underperforming academically, with lower proficiency rates in both ELA and Math. This suggests that the school could benefit from targeted interventions and support to address the academic performance gaps, particularly in Math, as well as addressing the high chronic absenteeism rate to improve student engagement and learning outcomes.

Detail:

Public 7-8

199 E 70th Pl
Merrillville, IN 46410

(219) 650-5308

District: Merrillville Community School Corp

SchoolDigger Rank:
354^th of 485 Indiana Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $10,395

Students who attend Pierce Middle School usually attend:

High:

Merrillville High School

Feeder schools for Pierce Middle School:

Elementary:	Edgar L Miller Elementary School
	Henry P Fieler Elementary School
	Homer Iddings Elementary School
	John Wood Elementary School
	More...
	Jonas E Salk Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 14.5

Number of students: 919

Racial breakdown:

African American:

67.1%

Hispanic:

18.7%

White:

7.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 70.1%

See top rated Indiana middle schools

Compare Pierce Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Pierce Middle School ranks worse than 73% of middle schools in Indiana. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 27.76. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (67.1%), Hispanic (18.7%), White (7.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 70.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Pierce Middle School is 14.5. (See more...)

Compare Pierce Middle School employs 63 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Pierce Middle School is $10,395.

Schooldigger Rankings:

Pierce Middle School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Pierce Middle School 354^th of 485 Indiana public middle schools. (See Pierce Middle School in the ranking list.)

Merrillville Community School Corp:

SchoolDigger ranks Merrillville Community School Corp 267^th of 381 Indiana school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Pierce Middle School.

What do you think?

Your rating for Pierce Middle School?

(Ranking FAQ)

Rank History for Pierce Middle School

Compare

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	IN State Percentile
2005	50.41	219^th	370	40.8%
2006	36.22	296^th	375	21.1%
2007	33.93	314^th	382	17.8%
2008	29.01	327^th	392	16.6%
2009	24.53	358^th	423	15.4%
2010	43.50	295^th	428	31.1%
2011	37.23	351^st	451	22.2%
2012	35.79	342^nd	447	23.5%
2013	31.19	350^th	444	21.2%
2014	31.40	377^th	470	19.8%
2015	31.09	374^th	485	22.9%
2016	49.14	291^st	494	41.1%
2017	41.22	316^th	472	33.1%
2018	43.72	303^rd	473	35.9%
2019	31.87	333^rd	470	29.1%
2021	41.09	293^rd	483	39.3%
2022	31.43	346^th	490	29.4%
2023	28.76	349^th	489	28.6%
2024	27.76	354^th	485	27.0%

See the entire list of Indiana Middle School Rankings!

Data source: test scores: Indiana Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

Data source: Indiana Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 1)

100%

No reviews have been submitted!

Enrollment information for Pierce Middle School

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	440	1	2	28	0	n/a	n/a	0	471
1989	460	1	3	15	0	n/a	n/a	0	479
1990	459	1	4	20	0	n/a	n/a	0	484
1991	491	2	8	31	2	n/a	n/a	0	534
1992	551	2	7	26	1	n/a	n/a	0	587
1993	640	18	4	46	1	n/a	n/a	0	709
1994	612	26	8	64	1	n/a	n/a	0	711
1995	620	64	16	88	1	n/a	n/a	0	789
1996	620	64	16	88	1	n/a	n/a	0	789
1997	621	82	22	83	2	n/a	n/a	4	814
1998	563	89	23	73	4	n/a	n/a	0	752
1999	535	76	14	64	3	n/a	n/a	0	692
2000	525	116	10	70	3	n/a	n/a	0	724
2001	527	137	9	68	5	n/a	n/a	0	746
2002	557	385	18	96	6	n/a	n/a	0	1062
2003	557	385	18	96	6	n/a	n/a	0	1062
2004	543	471	8	101	0	n/a	n/a	0	1123
2005	465	526	15	103	1	n/a	n/a	0	1110
2006	401	576	8	126	2	n/a	n/a	0	1113
2007	308	591	8	114	2	n/a	n/a	72	1095
2008	239	659	13	121	2	n/a	n/a	94	1128
2009	249	703	12	115	2	n/a	n/a	98	1179
2010	228	653	11	140	0	n/a	n/a	93	1125
2011	199	640	8	195	3	0	83	0	1128
2012	162	641	8	191	1	0	69	0	1072
2013	166	655	10	198	1	0	60	0	1090
2014	139	699	12	193	1	0	58	0	1102
2015	125	692	9	186	0	0	58	0	1070
2016	114	678	7	196	1	0	63	0	1059
2017	117	671	11	200	3	0	48	0	1050
2018	111	668	13	187	2	0	43	0	1024
2019	100	625	8	177	3	0	46	0	959
2020	121	605	7	175	4	1	50	0	963
2021	109	641	7	180	1	1	43	0	982
2022	82	667	7	199	0	0	48	0	1003
2023	66	617	9	172	0	0	55	0	919

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Pierce Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	471	29.4	16.0	8.5
1989	479	28.8	16.6	3.5
1990	484	29.2	16.5	5
1991	534	30.3	17.6	3
1992	587	24.8	23.6	3.4
1993	709	36.6	19.4	7.8
1994	711	37.3	19.1	5.6
1995	789	37.9	20.8	6
1996	789	37.9	20.8	6
1997	814	n/a	0.0	6.2
1998	752	37.3	20.2	7.6
1999	692	33.7	20.5	11.7
2000	724	38.6	18.8	14.4
2001	746	39.2	19.0	18.1
2002	1062	50.8	20.9	24.4
2003	1062	50.8	20.9	24.4
2004	1123	51.8	21.7	32.6
2005	1110	55.5	20.0	30.7
2006	1113	56.1	19.8	27.8
2007	1095	n/a	n/a	48.4
2008	1128	53.5	21.1	44
2009	1179	55.5	21.2	48.5
2010	1125	53.2	21.1	53.5
2011	1128	57.6	19.5	55.9
2012	1072	64.0	16.7	57
2013	1090	56.0	19.4	58.9
2014	1102	56.4	19.5	60.5
2015	1070	57.0	18.7	62.5
2016	1059	57.0	18.5	63.7
2017	1050	59.0	17.7	62.1
2018	1024	60.1	17.0	68.1
2019	959	59.4	16.1	67.8
2020	963	56.0	17.1	67.2
2021	982	55.0	17.8	62.2
2022	1003	66.4	15.0	64.2
2023	919	63.0	14.5	70.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Pierce Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	471	29.4	16.0	8.5
1989	479	28.8	16.6	3.5
1990	484	29.2	16.5	5
1991	534	30.3	17.6	3
1992	587	24.8	23.6	3.4
1993	709	36.6	19.4	7.8
1994	711	37.3	19.1	5.6
1995	789	37.9	20.8	6
1996	789	37.9	20.8	6
1997	814	n/a	0.0	6.2
1998	752	37.3	20.2	7.6
1999	692	33.7	20.5	11.7
2000	724	38.6	18.8	14.4
2001	746	39.2	19.0	18.1
2002	1062	50.8	20.9	24.4
2003	1062	50.8	20.9	24.4
2004	1123	51.8	21.7	32.6
2005	1110	55.5	20.0	30.7
2006	1113	56.1	19.8	27.8
2007	1095	n/a	n/a	48.4
2008	1128	53.5	21.1	44
2009	1179	55.5	21.2	48.5
2010	1125	53.2	21.1	53.5
2011	1128	57.6	19.5	55.9
2012	1072	64.0	16.7	57
2013	1090	56.0	19.4	58.9
2014	1102	56.4	19.5	60.5
2015	1070	57.0	18.7	62.5
2016	1059	57.0	18.5	63.7
2017	1050	59.0	17.7	62.1
2018	1024	60.1	17.0	68.1
2019	959	59.4	16.1	67.8
2020	963	56.0	17.1	67.2
2021	982	55.0	17.8	62.2
2022	1003	66.4	15.0	64.2
2023	919	63.0	14.5	70.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Pierce Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$439 (4.5%)	$9,344 (95.5%)	$9,783
2020	$404 (4.5%)	$8,565 (95.5%)	$8,970
2021	$540 (6.0%)	$8,453 (94.0%)	$8,993
2022	$1,172 (11.3%)	$9,223 (88.7%)	$10,395

Data source: Indiana Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Pierce Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 333^rd of 470 Middle schools	Ranks 349^th of 489 Middle schools	0.5%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts (Pierce Middle School)	39.6	32.4	7.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Merrillville Community School Corp)	39.5	32.4	7.1%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	49.7	39.5	10.2%
7th Grade Math (Pierce Middle School)	31.8	15	16.8%
7th Grade Math (Merrillville Community School Corp)	31.7	15	16.7%
7th Grade Math (Indiana)	42	32.9	9.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Pierce Middle School)	37.1	30.9	6.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Merrillville Community School Corp)	37.1	30.9	6.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Indiana)	50.7	43.8	6.9%
8th Grade Math (Pierce Middle School)	26.4	10.3	16.2%
8th Grade Math (Merrillville Community School Corp)	26.4	10.3	16.2%
8th Grade Math (Indiana)	38	31.4	6.6%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	959	919	4.2%
African American	625	617	1.3%
American Indian	3	0	100%
Asian	8	9	12.5%
Hispanic	177	172	2.8%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	100	66	34%
Two or More Races	46	55	19.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	67.8%	70.1%	2.3%

Schools Near Pierce Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				ILEARN English Language Arts (2024)					ILEARN Math (2024)					ILEARN Social Studies (2024)	ILEARN Biology (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ILEARN English Language Arts 5th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 6th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 7th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts 8th Grade	ILEARN English Language Arts All Grades	ILEARN Math 5th Grade	ILEARN Math 6th Grade	ILEARN Math 7th Grade	ILEARN Math 8th Grade	ILEARN Math All Grades	ILEARN Social Studies 5th Grade	ILEARN Biology End of Course	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Pierce Middle School	Public	7-8	199 E 70th Pl	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5308	919	63	14.5	70.1%	66 (7.2%)	617 (67.1%)	172 (18.7%)	9 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (6.0%)	27.8	354^th of 485 public middle schools	27.0%		28.8	349^th of 489 public middle schools	28.6%	5			27.8	32.5	30.2			11.0	14.5	12.8			$10,395	$1,172	$9,223
Merrillville Intermediate School	Public	5-6	1400 W 61st Ave	Merrillville	46410	Lake County	Merrillville Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 650-5306	855	60	14.3	71.3%	79 (9.2%)	549 (64.2%)	173 (20.2%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (5.7%)								(n/a)	25.6	28.5			27.2	31.3	26.5			28.8	24.2		$9,473	$1,287	$8,186
Bailly Middle School	Public	6-8	4621 Georgia St	Gary	46409	Lake County	Gary Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 980-6326	383	30	12.7	85.1%	5 (1.3%)	337 (88.0%)	29 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.1%)	9.9	448^th of 485 public middle schools	7.6%		7.4	470^th of 489 public middle schools	3.9%	22		15.7	16.9	14.7	15.7		6.1	3.4	1.8	3.9			$16,955	$5,209	$11,746
Lake Ridge New Technical Middle School	Public	5-8	3601 W 41st Ave	Gary	46408	Lake County	Lake Ridge New Technical Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 980-0730	476	27	17.9	91.8%	153 (32.1%)	165 (34.7%)	119 (25.0%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (7.4%)	7.6	469^th of 485 public middle schools	3.3%		11.8	439^th of 489 public middle schools	10.2%	30	13.8	12.0	10.4	11.1	11.8	9.6	2.9	4.7	1.7	4.5	5.3		$12,639	$2,884	$9,755
Hobart Middle School	Public	6-8	36 E 8th St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	School City of Hobart	No	No	No	No	(219) 942-8541	917	49	18.9	53.7%	546 (59.5%)	78 (8.5%)	239 (26.1%)	14 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	37 (4.0%)	60.3	184^th of 485 public middle schools	62.1%		56.9	207^th of 489 public middle schools	57.7%	23		41.7	43.0	43.9	42.9		41.8	29.1	26.2	32.5		60.7	$10,636	$916	$9,720
Colonel John Wheeler Middle School	Public	6-8	401 W Joliet St	Crown Point	46307	Lake County	Crown Point Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 663-2173	1,046	52	20.1	24.0%	742 (70.9%)	44 (4.2%)	200 (19.1%)	23 (2.2%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (3.2%)	75.3	108^th of 485 public middle schools	77.7%		73.9	109^th of 489 public middle schools	77.7%	1		40.1	43.9	49.9	44.6		52.8	42.8	46.0	47.2		82.4	$10,077	$405	$9,673
River Forest Middle School	Public	6-8	3300 Indiana St	Hobart	46342	Lake County	River Forest Community School Corp	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 962-7551	379	23	16.8	87.1%	136 (35.9%)	51 (13.5%)	161 (42.5%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	26 (6.9%)	17.6	400^th of 485 public middle schools	17.5%		19.8	393^rd of 489 public middle schools	19.6%	7		23.4	20.8	24.4	22.9		10.8	9.9	6.5	9.0			$8,369	$453	$7,916
Hal E Clark Middle School	Public	5-8	8915 W 93rd Ave	Saint John	46373	Lake County	Lake Central School Corporation	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 365-8507	1,069	57	18.8	23.1%	741 (69.3%)	70 (6.5%)	209 (19.6%)	16 (1.5%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (2.9%)	79.9	81^st of 485 public middle schools	83.3%		69.6	136^th of 489 public middle schools	72.2%	55	47.2	58.4	52.6	67.0	56.6	50.6	44.8	30.8	41.3	41.9	47.6		$9,687	$347	$9,340
Robert Taft Middle School	Public	6-8	1000 S Main	Crown Point	46307	Lake County	Crown Point Community School Corp	No	No	No	No	(219) 663-1507	1,091	57	19.1	22.9%	836 (76.6%)	34 (3.1%)	143 (13.1%)	33 (3.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	43 (3.9%)	86.8	49^th of 485 public middle schools	89.9%		87.2	48^th of 489 public middle schools	90.2%	1		53.6	52.4	56.3	54.2		53.9	56.7	46.9	52.2		100.0	$9,997	$369	$9,628
Michael Grimmer Middle School	Public	5-8	225 W 77th Ave	Schererville	46375	Lake County	Lake Central School Corporation	No	No	No	Yes	(219) 865-6985	754	47	15.9	32.1%	417 (55.3%)	78 (10.3%)	190 (25.2%)	27 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	38 (5.0%)	79.4	83^rd of 485 public middle schools	82.9%		78.8	91^st of 489 public middle schools	81.4%	8	56.4	56.3	60.0	54.0	56.9	50.3	44.8	43.2	30.1	42.4	56.4		$10,086	$120	$9,966

Frequently Asked Questions about Pierce Middle School

Is Pierce Middle School a good school?

Pierce Middle School ranks 354^th of 485 Indiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Pierce Middle School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 919 students attended Pierce Middle School.

What district is Pierce Middle School in?

Merrillville Community School Corp

What is the racial makeup of Pierce Middle School?

Students at Pierce Middle School are 67% African American, 19% Hispanic, 7% White, 6% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Pierce Middle School attend?

Students who attend Pierce Middle School usually go on to attend Merrillville High School

Rate Pierce Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

INIndiana Middle School Rankings

INIndiana District Rankings

Schools in Merrillville, IN

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Pierce Middle School!

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