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Schools›Wisconsin›Merrill
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERRILL AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550921001099

Merrill High

1201 N Sales St, Merrill, WI 54452 · (715) 536-4594 · Lincoln County
GRADES 09–12HIGH32-TOWNREGULAR SCHOOL756 STUDENTS
Enrollment
756
High
DISTRICT 394 · STATE 475
Student : Teacher
16.3:1
46 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 23.7:1 · STATE 14.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
36%
275 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 42%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Grade 919826%
Grade 1019225%
Grade 1121028%
Grade 1215621%
Student demographics
19%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 26% · STATE 54% · US 70%
White
67990%
DISTRICT 86% · STATE 65% · US 43%
Hispanic
314%
DISTRICT 5% · STATE 15% · US 30%
Black
61%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 9% · US 15%
Asian
20%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 4% · US 6%
Two+
345%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 6% · US 5%
Native American
41%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 1% · US 1%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
39352%
Female
36348%

School pathway

Feeds from
Prairie River Middle05–08
Based on grade levels within Merrill Area School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
44.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.3%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-11.0pp
below demographic expectation

What this means: About 44% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% typical for Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin'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 →

Schools most like Merrill High

Merrill High's state test result (44.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Merrill High this school75636.4%44.3%
Rhinelander High
Rhinelander
75734.7%53.2%
Waupaca High
Waupaca
62336.8%52.4%
Medford High
Medford
66734.0%43.0%
Northland Pines Middle and High School
Eagle River
54337.8%52.2%
Durand Middle/High
Durand
53735.8%53.0%
Matched among Wisconsin high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Merrill High ranks

Among high schools
MeasureThis schoolIn Wisconsin
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
44.3%#237 of 402
Enrollment
ranked largest first
756#129 of 532
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
16.3:1#272 of 325
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
18.9%#255 of 325
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
36.4%#189 of 418
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked steepest decline first
-5.9%#141 of 203
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
756
-58 (-7%) vs 2020
-8% since 1990-91, when it was 824
Student : Teacher
16.3:1
was 16.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2575646.316.3:136% (275)
2023-2479546.117.3:136% (289)
2022-2380348.116.7:134% (272)
2020-218144916.6:137% (301)
2017-1880350.915.8:132% (255)
2015-168555316.1:135% (299)
2010-111,0925719.2:137% (402)
2000-011,2577317.2:129% (362)
1990-918245315.6:1N/A
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Merrill High.

Since 2017-18: students down 6% (803 to 756); teachers down 9% (50.9 to 46.3).

About Merrill High

Merrill High is a high school located in Merrill, Wisconsin, in Lincoln County. The school's enrollment of 756 students covers grades 9 through 12. Statewide, high schools in Wisconsin average about 475 students each.

Merrill Area School District oversees Merrill High and 6 other schools, with 2,686 students in total.

Federal enrollment data show Merrill High is 90% White. It is also 5% multiracial and 4% Hispanic. That is close to the 94% White share among all Lincoln County residents. Merrill High's diversity index is 19%, against a US figure of 70%.

A ratio of 16.3:1 comes from the school's 46.3 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is 1.7 students per teacher above the 14.6:1 average for high schools in Wisconsin. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was 36% in 2024-25.

A school with Merrill High's lunch-eligibility share in Wisconsin is predicted to score 55.3%. Merrill High scores 44.3%, 11.0 points below that line.

In the county around the school, Lincoln County, the median household income is $68,164, 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 7% of people live in poverty. There are 12 public schools in Lincoln County, enrolling about 3,880 students in all.

The next-closest public school is Bridges Virtual Academy, less than a tenth of a mile away. The count of other public schools within five miles is 6.

Merrill High falls in the Town: Distant locale category, used for schools in a town some distance from an urbanized area.

Enrollment dropped 7% from its 2020-21 level of 814.

The discussion area below is open to posts about sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.

Lincoln County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
28,426
Census ACS
Median income
$68,164
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
12
3,880 students

Quick facts

School name
Merrill High
District
Merrill Area School District
Address
1201 N Sales St, Merrill, WI 54452
Phone
(715) 536-4594
County
Lincoln County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
756
Teachers (FTE)
46
Student–teacher ratio
16.3:1
Free and reduced lunch
275 (36%)
Locale
32-Town: Distant
NCES ID
550921001099
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Merrill Area School District
Other schools in Merrill
Other Merrill High schools

One other US public school is named Merrill High. Merrill High is the largest of the 2.

Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Merrill High
How large is Merrill High?
Merrill High enrolls approximately 756 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Merrill High serve?
Merrill High serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Merrill High?
Approximately 16.3:1 students per teacher at Merrill High.
How diverse is Merrill High?
Merrill High reports a student body of 90% White, 4% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Who oversees Merrill High?
Merrill High is overseen by Merrill Area School District in Lincoln County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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