Enrollment
75
Minnesota · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Duluth, MN
Merritt Creek Academy
Federal NCES profile for Merritt Creek Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 271104001562
👥 S:T ratio 70
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merritt Creek Academy earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Minnesota schools.
- #1 of 15
- schools in Duluth · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.5:1
- small classes for Minnesota
- 93.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Merritt Creek Academy has class sizes smaller than 89% of Minnesota schools. Computed live against every Minnesota school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Creek Academy ranks #1 of 15 schools in Duluth, MN.
School address
District: Duluth Public School District · Minnesota
NCES ID 271104001562 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.5:1
vs 15.8:1 Minnesota avg
-53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
93.6%
vs 42.8% Minnesota avg
+119% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merritt Creek Academy compares with Minnesota and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merritt Creek Academy
Merritt Creek Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Duluth, Minnesota, enrolling 75 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.5:1, Merritt Creek Academy is leaner than roughly 89% of Minnesota schools and 53% under the state's 15.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need is high: 93.6% of students qualify for free meals, 119% above the Minnesota average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 75 puts it in the smaller third of Minnesota schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,334 scored Minnesota schools.
Against 33 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #14.
Its student body is predominantly White (80% of enrollment) (diversity index 35/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Duluth Public School District also operates East High School (1,495 students) and Ordean East Middle School (1,037 students) alongside Merritt Creek Academy.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Merritt Creek Academy compares
Merritt Creek Academy on the metrics families compare, against Minnesota and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Minnesota | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 7.5:1 | ▼ 53% | 15.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 93.6% | ▲ 119% | 42.8% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 75 | top 75% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.5:1
Leaner classes than 96% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
75
Bigger than 8% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
93.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 119% above the Minnesota average of 42.8%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
7.5:1
students per teacher
- 53% below state mean
Top 11% in Minnesota - lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,387
per pupil, district-wide
- below Minnesota avg of $15,270
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 80.0%
Two or More 8.0%
African American 6.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 4.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Largest group: White at 80.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.7, Merritt Creek Academy is less mixed than the Minnesota school average of 42.8.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Duluth Public School District, which includes Merritt Creek Academy.
$14,387
Per student
-6%
vs Minnesota
Avg $15,270
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 30.4%
State 55.1%
Federal 14.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Merritt Creek Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ordean East Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Denfeld High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Park Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lester Park Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merritt Creek Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,495
- Students per teacher
- 28.2:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 1,037
- Students per teacher
- 29.6:1
- Resource Index
- 15/100
- Enrollment
- 951
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 510
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Minnesota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~75 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merritt Creek Academy's federal record.
- Compare Merritt Creek Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Duluth Public School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Merritt Creek Academy
How many students attend Merritt Creek Academy?
Merritt Creek Academy has 75 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Duluth, MN.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merritt Creek Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Merritt Creek Academy is 7.5:1, which is 53% lower than the Minnesota average of 15.8:1 and 52% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merritt Creek Academy?
93.6% of students at Merritt Creek Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Minnesota average of 42.8%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merritt Creek Academy?
The largest demographic group at Merritt Creek Academy is White at 80.0% of enrollment, in Duluth, MN.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merritt Creek Academy?
Merritt Creek Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Merritt Creek Academy rank among schools in Duluth?
By Resource Investment Index, Merritt Creek Academy ranks #1 of 15 schools in Duluth, MN. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Duluth on the city page.
Is Merritt Creek Academy a good school?
Merritt Creek Academy earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 89% of Minnesota schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Duluth Public School District?
Besides Merritt Creek Academy, Duluth Public School District also operates East High School (1,495 students), Ordean East Middle School (1,037 students), and Denfeld High School (951 students). See the Duluth Public School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.