Merrill Middle School

Teachers really care here. They seek you out if there's something that needs to be addressed. And together, you can work it out. The diverse nature of students enhances the educational experience. Every student is challenged. My son, for example, is taking Geometry as an 8th-grader. It's a fantastic school, and definitely worth considering.
--Submitted by a parent

Merrill is a wonderful school that isn't well understood because of its international student body. My children, who are rated gifted and talented, have thrived at Merrill and have continued to grow. Merrill's plans for launching a wireless campus, science and technology lab and a global language program in 2013 is extremely exciting too.
--Submitted by a parent

Amazing school. Teachers are fabulous and really care about each child on an individual bases. My child is a person here not a number. The academics are amazing and my child has improved greatly from her elementary school across the field. How lucky we are to be at this school.
--Submitted by a parent

My Son loves middle school at Merrill. I am surprised because I feared the middle school experience in general and worried about choosing the right school. The staff is great and responds to my questions. The school responded to my son skipping a grade in math with no problems. I love the dress code. Drive by other middle or high schools and check out the sagging and bagging and the skimpy outfits and you will see what I am talking about. Bullying problems are dealt with quickly. Love the honors courses and the technology lab.
--Submitted by a parent

I dont like this school because they think strictness will make us better but its actually the other way around
--Submitted by a student

I sent two of my sons here over a 5 year span. Both had awful experiences. The 2nd son moved to a better DPS school after completing 2 years at Merrill. There are some good teachers, but there also older ones who seem to get assigned here as their last stop to retirement. They don't have good attitudes towards the students. The younger teachers have more energy and better attitude. Leadership here has been poor. The school does not do well in dealing with kid-on-kid conflicts. It can be a brutal place. Many parents I know with more than one child have avoided sending their 2nd child back into this environment. Much of the problems come from an environment of rough kids who are not controlled or dealt with properly. Student performance is bimodal. Some who care do very well, the ones who don't aren't motivated and are given up on.
--Submitted by a parent

The rating score of Merrill is completely inaccurate. This school has many different programs within the building, many of them rigorous. The test scores are skewed b/c one of these programs consists of students that are new to the country. These students, despite being bright and motivated have not yet grasped the english language- making standardized tests an inaccurate representation of their skill set and of Merrill's achievement. These students take their core classes seperately during the day. The other students have the good fortune of being in class with these children during their specials (art etc..). THis school has an advanced placement program, as well. You recieve an incredible amount of personal attention from the staff in this building, they are always making sure that my child is challenged. There are small class sizes, loads of sports and activities and it shares a beautiful campus with Cory Elementary school.
--Submitted by a parent

After a horrible experience at Morey Middle School last year with bullying this school is sheer bliss
--Submitted by a parent

Merrill is an excellent school for learning about other cultures and languages. It is not a fake cultural school like D.S.A because there are kids there who really are from Burma, Russia, China, Vietnam, Africa, ect. there are kids there from over 30 different countries and they are starting the new comer program for kids who have recently moved here from Iraq and Burma and starting clothes and food donations for them and their families. they will teach all academic levels and have an honors program in which I am in. (I am in 6th grade.) If you compare the scores of the newcomers in their language, their scores are equal or higher than the scores of hamilton and morey. CSAP only allows kids who don't speak english to take it in their language for 1 year so they only get to do CSAP once in their language.
--Submitted by a parent

A welcoming and challenging environment. My son attended Cory, an excellent elementary school, and he is up and out of bed early every morning ready to ride his bike to school. Kids are friendly and accepting; teachers are challenging but keep it real -- no meaningless homework and a realistic eye towards CSAP score; principal is poised to move this school. By the way, when CSAP scores for those who don't speak English as a first language are factored out of the total school scores, Merrill CSAP scores mirror those of Hamilton and Morey. Don't pass this up and coming school over!
--Submitted by a parent