Blair-taylor Middle/high, Blair WI

Original Research by School Decision on Blair-taylor Middle/high

Blair-Taylor Middle/High is the sole secondary school for the Blair-Taylor School District, serving grades six through twelve in a single building. It is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet, and sits within the village of Blair in Trempealeau County. Because it spans both middle and high school grades, the school provides the entire secondary academic pathway for local students, from early adolescence through graduation.

Blair itself is a small rural community with a strong Norwegian heritage that still shows in annual church suppers and a local lefse company. The economy revolves around agriculture, dairy production, and a creamery operated by a large milk producer. Sand mines, the public schools, and a nursing home are the largest employers. The town’s layout is traditional, with city hall, a library, and a park along Lake Henry woven into the residential and commercial fabric rather than separated onto distant campuses. The population has remained relatively stable in recent decades, and housing values have risen at a pace that outpaces the national average but still sits lower than the statewide typical home price. Some Amish farming families have recently settled in the surrounding area, adding a new element to the local character.

The school enrolls a modest number of students for its grade band, which keeps class sizes small and allows for a close-knit peer environment. The student body is predominantly white, with a small number of Hispanic students and an even smaller number of students who identify as Black or with two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a significant portion of families face economic pressures.

On the Wisconsin Forward assessments, which cover grades six through eight, the school shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, sixth graders performed at a level where a solid majority met proficiency standards. Seventh and eighth graders, however, reached proficiency at a lower rate. In math, the middle school grades also saw a declining pattern: sixth graders did better than the older cohorts, while results for seventh and eighth graders were notably weaker. Science proficiency among eighth graders matched the math pattern, while social studies proficiency was higher. Compared with other districts in Trempealeau County, Blair-Taylor’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile. A parent considering this school may want to ask about the specific academic interventions or curriculum supports available, particularly for math and literacy in the upper middle grades.

No state assessment data is available for high school grades, and the school’s four-year graduation rate is not reported in the data we have. That gap often reflects the nature of the school—a combined middle/high school where high school assessments may be administered differently or the data may not have been captured here. A parent should confirm with the school what high school outcomes look like, including course offerings such as Advanced Placement or dual credit opportunities, which were also absent from the data. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios was found.

The district itself has not had any major parent-relevant changes reported in recent years, so the school’s current character is likely stable. For families who value a small, rural setting, where the school is embedded in a community with a distinct cultural identity and where housing is more affordable than in the state’s urban centers, Blair-Taylor Middle/High offers a straightforward secondary education in a tight-knit environment. The academic performance in the middle grades suggests a need for attention to math and literacy, and the absence of high school data leaves a question that only the school can answer.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 47 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

528 schools plotted. 25 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 52%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 20%

▼ 34 pts below state median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 22 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 664%

School 64% · District 64%

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 17 pts below state median

Science

Grade 835%

School 35% · District 35%

▼ 16 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 45%

▼ 19 pts below state median

This schoolBlair-Taylor School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income47%Higher-income78%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income52%32 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income50%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income61%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income10%Higher-income29%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income20%Higher-income39%19 pp gap