A Profile of Merrill Middle School
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Merrill Middle School in southeast Denver is notable for the cultural and linguistic diversity of its student population, among whom are nearly 200 refugee and immigrant children from across the city who are enrolled in the school’s English Language Acquisition (ELA) magnet program.
The background of these students, from 40 different countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, varies widely. They range from kids who are illiterate in their first language and have never attended school before, to students who have an advanced educational background but need to learn English before entering mainstream classes.
Students at Merrill are grouped by grade level (6th, 7th, 8th) appropriate to their age, and by language level (Newcomer, Level 1, 2, or 3) appropriate to their abilities in English. Those enrolled in the ELA program receive English instruction that focuses on listening, speaking, reading and writing, as well as being taught math, science and social studies at their grade level, using English-as-a-second-language techniques.
Merrill also offers honors classes in math, science and social studies, and recently implemented SpringBoard, a language-arts program designed by The College Board to prepare students for Advanced Placement and other accelerated courses in high school.
Merrill’s 15:1 student-to-teacher ratio is below the districtwide average, and 60% of teachers have a master’s degree or better.
Sixty percent of the school’s students participate in extracurricular activities, including MathCounts; chess, computer and travel clubs; the Merrill Players, a theater group; and SOAR, an after-school enrichment and sports program sponsored by the Colorado Rockies.
Source of information:http://merrill.dpsk12.org/pages/home.htm/
| Enrollment - School Yr. 2007/2008 | |
| Grade 8 | 186 |
| Grade 7 | 196 |
| Grade 6 | 162 |
| Total | 544 |
Source of information:
http://planning.dpsk12.org/Demographics_Statistics/Membership_Reports/MembershipByGrade_2007.pdf
Student Ethnicity |
Merrill |
State Average |
| White, not Hispanic | 26% |
63% |
| Black, not Hispanic | 23% |
6% |
| Hispanic | 35% |
27% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 12% |
|
| American Indian/Alaskan Native | 3% |
| SStudent/Teacher Ratio | Merrill |
State Average |
| Students per FTE Teacher | 15 |
17 |
Student Economic Level |
Merrill |
State Average |
| Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch program. | 71% |
33% |
Source of information: great schools - The Parent's Guide to Great Success
http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/co/other/476#students
- Urban Apprentice Schools' Websites:
- East High School
- Thomas Jefferson High School
- North High School
- Bruce Randolph Middle School
- Hill Middle School
- Martin Luther King Middle Early College
- Merrill Middle School
