Enrollment
354
Elementary
DISTRICT 319 · STATE 344
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 270000101610
MERRITT ELEMENTARY
8659 UNITY DRIVE, MOUNTAIN IRON, MN 55768 · (218) 735-8271 · St. Louis County
GRADES PK–06ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL354 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
23 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.5:1 · STATE 13.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
45%
160 students
DISTRICT 42% · STATE 48%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
MERRITT ELEMENTARY→MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SECONDARY
Based on grade levels within MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SCHOOL DISTRICT. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
MCA 2024-25 . % Meets or Exceeds StandardsEnglish Language Arts
58.0%
MN avg 49.7%
Math
52.3%
MN avg 45.3%
What this means: On the MCA, Minnesota's statewide test, about 58 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Minnesota schools, those numbers are about 50 and 45.
Source: MCA. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
52.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.8%
based on MN schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 53% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% typical for Minnesota schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Minnesota's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
7-year change
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
354
+61 (+21%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
15.6:1
was 17.4:1
% White
87%
was 84%
% Hispanic
4%
was 6%
% Black
0%
was 1%
% Asian
0%
was 0%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
About MERRITT ELEMENTARY
Located at 8659 UNITY DRIVE, in MOUNTAIN IRON, Minnesota, MERRITT ELEMENTARY is a medium-sized K-5 school that teaches 354 students (grades pre-K through 6), overseen by MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SCHOOL DISTRICT.
MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SCHOOL DISTRICT runs 2 schools in total, collectively educating 637 students. MERRITT ELEMENTARY is one of those campuses.
On the student-mix side, MERRITT ELEMENTARY shows that the student body is overwhelmingly White (87%). The remainder is composed of 8% multiracial, 4% Hispanic. Compared to St. Louis County overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.
Looking at the economic backdrop, The school lists 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.6:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.7:1 average. About 45% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.
On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), MERRITT ELEMENTARY tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 40.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 52.6%.
In the area at large, the surrounding county (St. Louis County) records that median household income runs about $70,069, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. MERRITT ELEMENTARY is one of 100 public schools in St. Louis County (combined enrollment of about 23,921 students).
Nearest neighbor: MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SECONDARY, around 0.0 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 5 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), MERRITT ELEMENTARY ranks 1st on composite proficiency, above the local average of 34.4%.
The school occupies a town-center site.
Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at MERRITT ELEMENTARY has ticked up 21%, going from 293 students in 2018 to 354 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 17.4:1 in 2018 to 15.6:1 today.
Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the MERRITT ELEMENTARY community share and discuss open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
St. Louis County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
200,123
Census ACS
Median income
$70,069
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
100
23,921 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SCHOOL DISTRICT
- MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SECONDARYHigh · 283 students
Other schools in MOUNTAIN IRON
- MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SECONDARYHigh · 283 students
- EAST RANGE ACADEMY OF TECH-SCIENCEHigh · 127 students
- Mountain Iron-Buhl ISD 712 Credit RHigh
- NORTHEAST SERVICE COOPERATIVE OLLHigh
Nearby schools
- MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SECONDARY0.0 mi · 283
- EAST RANGE ACADEMY OF TECH-SCIENCE0.5 mi · 127
- NLC 6076 Special Education Program1.9 mi · 64
- NLC 6076 ALC Program1.9 mi · 48
- Parkview Elementary2.2 mi · 336
- NLC 6076 Transition Program2.5 mi · 25
Frequently asked questions
About MERRITT ELEMENTARYWhat is the total enrollment at MERRITT ELEMENTARY?
MERRITT ELEMENTARY enrolls approximately 354 students in grades PK-06.
Is MERRITT ELEMENTARY an elementary, middle, or high school?
MERRITT ELEMENTARY is an elementary school covering grades PK-06.
What is the student-teacher ratio at MERRITT ELEMENTARY?
The student-to-teacher ratio at MERRITT ELEMENTARY is approximately 15.6:1 (23 FTE teachers).
How diverse is MERRITT ELEMENTARY?
MERRITT ELEMENTARY reports a student body of 87% White, 4% Hispanic, 0% Black, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees MERRITT ELEMENTARY?
MERRITT ELEMENTARY is overseen by MOUNTAIN IRON-BUHL SCHOOL DISTRICT in St. Louis County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.