MERRIAM CHERRY STREET ELEMENTARY

MERRIAM CHERRY STREET ELEMENTARY is an elementary-level community of compact scale in PANAMA CITY, Florida, overseen by BAY, hosting 343 students in grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 43% smaller than the state mean of about 604.

MERRIAM CHERRY STREET ELEMENTARY is one of 47 schools operated by BAY, a district that hosts 27,494 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, MERRIAM CHERRY STREET ELEMENTARY lists that 40% of students identify as White, with the remaining enrollment distributed across several groups. Other groups include 37% Black, 13% Hispanic, 9% multiracial. By comparison, Bay County as a whole is about 75% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

In terms of school funding signals, The school employs 27 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.7:1. The state averages around 17.5:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Roughly 64% of students at MERRIAM CHERRY STREET ELEMENTARY qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Bay County runs at roughly 43%, so the school's eligibility rate is somewhat above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, MERRIAM CHERRY STREET ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 49.0% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 45.4%.

Across the wider county, the surrounding county (Bay County) shows that median household earnings sit near $73,533, roughly 30% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. MERRIAM CHERRY STREET ELEMENTARY is one of 50 public schools in Bay County (combined enrollment of about 27,672 students).

AMIKIDS MARITIME ACADEMY is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around MERRIAM CHERRY STREET ELEMENTARY. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts MERRIAM CHERRY STREET ELEMENTARY at 3rd of 6; the average score across the group is 43.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a metropolitan area.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count expanded 3%: 333 students in 2018 compared to 343 in 2025. The White share of enrollment contracted from 52% to 40% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 13.9:1 in 2018 to 12.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Members of the school community can share what they know.