Athens Middle, Athens WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Athens Middle

Athens Middle serves grades six through eight in the Athens School District, a small rural district in north-central Marathon County. The school shares a building with the high school on the western edge of the village, while the elementary school and two parochial options also serve the community. The district itself has seen a notable enrollment surge in recent years, reversing a long decline and adding pressure on facilities and staffing. Families here also have the unusual option of Maple Grove Charter School within the district, a K-5 charter that provides an alternative to the traditional elementary school.

The student body is small and predominantly white, with a modest share identifying as Hispanic. Just over a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that is lower than many rural Wisconsin districts and points to a relatively less economically stressed population. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those students are served.

Academically, the picture is mixed. On state assessments, proficiency in English language arts rises as students move through the grades. Sixth graders clear the halfway mark, seventh graders reach a stronger level, and eighth graders hit a notably high proficiency rate. That pattern looks like a real strength. Math proficiency is more even across the grades and sits around the midpoint, meaning roughly half of students meet the bar. Science proficiency in eighth grade is slightly above that math level. Eighth-grade social studies is a standout, with a very high proficiency rate. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency index across subjects and grades sits above the midpoint among districts in Marathon County, though it is not at the top of the county. The top end in the county is meaningfully higher.

Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s test participation rates were at full participation, so the results represent nearly all enrolled students.

The village of Athens itself is a low-density agricultural community, with a historic village square and bandstand as its social center. The local economy mixes agriculture with a small industrial park developed in the 1990s. The population has declined slightly over the past two decades, though median home values and household incomes have risen. Housing is affordable relative to national benchmarks, and the village offers a quiet, rural setting with limited walkability outside the immediate center. There is no public transit, and State Highway 97 is the main artery.

The district’s enrollment growth is the biggest factor a family should explore. A roughly 40 percent increase in students over a few years is substantial for a small district, and it raises questions about class sizes, whether the middle and high school building has capacity, and how the district plans to manage the growth. A parent looking at Athens Middle should ask the district about its plans for staffing and facilities in light of this trend. The academic results are solid in some areas, particularly eighth-grade English and social studies, while math is an area where a parent may want to learn more about the school’s approach and how it supports students who are not yet proficient.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 648%

School 48% · District 47% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 50% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Science

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

This schoolAthens 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-income39%Higher-income63%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income56%Higher-income67%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income71%Higher-income75%4 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income56%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income53%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income50%7 pp gap