Robert L Merritt Junior High School

Q: Is Robert L Merritt Junior High School a good school?

Robert L Merritt Junior High School ranks 153 rd of 264 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Summary:

Robert L Merritt Junior High School is a public middle school serving grades 7-9 in Indianola, Mississippi, which is part of the Sunflower City Consolidated School District. The school has a predominantly African American student population and faces significant academic challenges, with consistently low performance on standardized tests compared to state and district averages.

Robert L Merritt Junior High School's academic performance has been a concern, with proficiency rates in core subjects like English Language Arts, Mathematics, Algebra I, and Biology all falling below state and district averages. This trend has persisted over the past few years, leading to a decline in the school's ranking among Mississippi middle schools. However, the school does have a relatively low student-teacher ratio, which could be an advantage in providing more individualized attention to students. When compared to nearby schools, such as Carver Elementary School, which is in the same district, the academic challenges at Robert L Merritt Junior High School appear to be more pronounced at the middle school level.

The high percentage of economically disadvantaged students at Robert L Merritt Junior High School, with a 100% free and reduced-price lunch rate, is likely a significant factor contributing to the school's academic challenges. Additionally, the school's declining ranking over the years suggests that there may be systemic issues within the Sunflower City Consolidated School District that need to be addressed. While the school has shown some stronger performance in specific areas, such as 8th grade Science, the overall trend indicates that targeted interventions and support may be necessary to improve student outcomes at Robert L Merritt Junior High School.

Detail:

Public 7-9

705 Kinlock Road
Indianola, MS 38751

(662) 884-1270

District: Sunflower City Cons School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
153^rd of 264 Mississippi Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,541

Student/teacher ratio: 13.1

Number of students: 410

Racial breakdown:

African American:

97.3%

Hispanic:

1.5%

White:

1.0%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Robert L Merritt Junior High School ranks worse than 58% of middle schools in Mississippi. It also ranks 2^nd among 3 ranked middle schools in the Sunflower City Cons School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 43.8. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Robert L Merritt Junior High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

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 Robert L Merritt Junior High School has the largest middle school student body size in the Sunflower City Cons School District. Racial makeup is: African American (97.3%), Hispanic (1.5%), White (1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Sunflower City Cons School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Robert L Merritt Junior High School is 13.1. 2 middle schools in the Sunflower City Cons School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Robert L Merritt Junior High School employs 31.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Robert L Merritt Junior High School is $12,541, which is the lowest among 4 middle schools in the Sunflower City Cons School District!

Schooldigger Rankings:

Robert L Merritt Junior High School was not ranked this year due to insufficient test score data.

SchoolDigger ranks Robert L Merritt Junior High School 153^rd of 264 Mississippi public middle schools. (See Robert L Merritt Junior High School in the ranking list.)

Sunflower City Cons School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Sunflower City Cons School District 88^th of 130 Mississippi school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Robert L Merritt Junior High School

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	MS State Percentile
2017	12.56	249^th	272	8.5%
2018	17.03	212^th	252	15.9%
2019	29.47	188^th	264	28.8%
2021	18.00	204^th	257	20.6%
2022	37.49	158^th	257	38.5%
2023	49.58	115^th	243	52.7%
2024	43.80	153^rd	264	42.0%

See the entire list of Mississippi Middle School Rankings!

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

Data source: Mississippi Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Robert L Merritt Junior High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	Two or More Races	Total
2015	9	538	1	2	0	550
2016	13	459	1	1	0	474
2017	8	444	2	2	0	456
2018	6	424	0	3	0	433
2019	7	439	0	7	0	453
2020	7	446	0	8	0	461
2021	8	446	1	8	0	463
2022	5	425	1	6	1	438
2023	4	399	1	6	0	410

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 Robert L Merritt Junior High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	550	30.0	18.3	100
2016	474	31.0	15.2	100
2017	456	28.2	16.1	100
2018	433	28.2	15.3	100
2019	453	27.8	16.2	100
2020	461	26.7	17.2	100
2021	463	27.9	16.5	100
2022	438	30.1	14.5	100
2023	410	31.2	13.1	100

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 Robert L Merritt Junior High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	550	30.0	18.3	100
2016	474	31.0	15.2	100
2017	456	28.2	16.1	100
2018	433	28.2	15.3	100
2019	453	27.8	16.2	100
2020	461	26.7	17.2	100
2021	463	27.9	16.5	100
2022	438	30.1	14.5	100
2023	410	31.2	13.1	100

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 Robert L Merritt Junior High School

Year	Total Expenditures Per Pupil
2017	$8,196
2018	$7,910
2019	$7,876
2020	$9,342
2021	$10,709
2022	$12,541

Data source: Mississippi Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Robert L Merritt Junior High 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 188^th of 264 Middle schools	Ranks 115^th of 243 Middle schools	23.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
7th Grade English Language Arts (Robert L Merritt Junior High School)	18.4	29	10.6%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	39	40.2	1.2%
7th Grade Mathematics (Robert L Merritt Junior High School)	46.3	52.4	6.1%
7th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	51.1	55.6	4.5%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Robert L Merritt Junior High School)	16	39.6	23.6%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Mississippi)	35.5	40.5	5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Robert L Merritt Junior High School)	30.9	36.2	5.3%
8th Grade Mathematics (Mississippi)	44.8	46.1	1.3%
8th Grade Science (Robert L Merritt Junior High School)	44	57.4	13.4%
8th Grade Science (Mississippi)	52.7	53.3	0.6%
End of Course Algebra I (Robert L Merritt Junior High School)	40.2	28.4	11.8%
End of Course Algebra I (Mississippi)	49.3	65.8	16.5%
End of Course Biology (Robert L Merritt Junior High School)	67.1	47.3	19.8%
End of Course Biology (Mississippi)	57.2	60.9	3.7%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	453	410	9.5%
African American	439	399	9.1%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	0	1
Hispanic	7	6	14.3%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	7	4	42.9%
Two or More Races	0	0
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	100%	100%

Schools Near Robert L Merritt Junior High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				MAAP English Language Arts (2024)					MAAP Mathematics (2024)					MAAP Algebra I (2024)	MAAP Science (2024)		MAAP 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	MAAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	MAAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 4th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 5th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 6th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 7th Grade	MAAP Mathematics 8th Grade	MAAP Algebra I End of Course	MAAP Science 5th Grade	MAAP Science 8th Grade	MAAP Biology End of Course	Total
Robert L Merritt Junior High School	Public	7-9	705 Kinlock Road	Indianola	38751	Sunflower County	Sunflower City Cons School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 884-1270	410	31	13.1	100.0%	4 (1.0%)	399 (97.3%)	6 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43.8	153^rd of 264 public middle schools	42.0%		49.6	115^th of 243 public middle schools	52.7%	38				30.6	28.1				35.7	55.3	51.5		68.1	56.4	$12,541
Carver Elementary School	Public	4-6	404 Jefferson Street	Indianola	38751	Sunflower County	Sunflower City Cons School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 884-1250	301	23	13.1	100.0%	6 (2.0%)	289 (96.0%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)								(n/a)	50.7	37.1	23.6			58.6	34.5	41.4				58.3			$13,147
Leland School Park	Public	6-8	200 Milam Street	Leland	38756	Washington County	Leland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 686-5017	264	27	9.6	100.0%	12 (4.5%)	242 (91.7%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.7%)	25.9	194^th of 264 public middle schools	26.5%		20.9	194^th of 243 public middle schools	20.2%				24.1	17.6	31.3			11.1	33.4	60.4	100.0		50.0		$17,640
O.M. McNair Middle School	Public	5-8	910 Church Street	Belzoni	39038	Humphreys County	Humphreys County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(662) 247-6060	413	22	18.3	100.0%	6 (1.5%)	402 (97.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	7.5	253^rd of 264 public middle schools	4.2%					(n/a)		23.2	5.2	11.6	18.7		23.2	15.6	17.9	17.7		50.8	42.7		$12,557

Frequently Asked Questions about Robert L Merritt Junior High School

What is the racial makeup of Robert L Merritt Junior High School?

Students at Robert L Merritt Junior High School are 97% African American, 1% Hispanic.

Is Robert L Merritt Junior High School a good school?

Robert L Merritt Junior High School ranks 153^rd of 264 Mississippi middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Robert L Merritt Junior High School in?

Sunflower City Cons School District

How many students attend Robert L Merritt Junior High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 410 students attended Robert L Merritt Junior High School.

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