Summary:
Merrill Community Schools in Michigan has a single middle school, Merrill Middle School, serving students in grades 6-8. The school faces significant challenges, with academic performance consistently below state averages and a high chronic absenteeism rate.
Merrill Middle School's student population of 127 is predominantly White (90.55%), with smaller percentages of Hispanic and other racial groups. The school's proficiency rates on state assessments are concerning, with only 23.7% to 32.4% of students proficient in English Language Arts and 10.5% to 23.5% proficient in Math, compared to state averages of 37.5% to 37.9% and 31% to 32.1%, respectively. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students (56.69%) eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a relatively high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.
Despite the school's lower academic performance, it has a relatively high spending per student of $13,833, which is higher than the state average. This raises questions about the effectiveness of resource allocation and the need to ensure that funding is being used in the most impactful way to support student learning. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and implementing targeted interventions to improve academic outcomes should be priorities for Merrill Community Schools as they work to provide a high-quality education for their students.
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