The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in Social studies. The lowest is 50% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Glenwood City Middle
Glenwood City Middle serves sixth through eighth grade students in the small, rural city of Glenwood City, located in western Wisconsin's St. Croix County. The school is part of the Glenwood City School District, which houses its K-12 operations on a single educational complex on the southeast side of town. The city itself, known as the "City of 57 Hills," originated as a railroad and lumber-mill hub in the 1880s before transitioning to an agricultural economy. It sits a short distance north of I-94, providing highway access between the Twin Cities and Eau Claire, though no public transit system is evident. The community retains a rural, small-town character with annual civic events at the St. Croix County Fairgrounds, and its housing market has seen notable increases, with home values recently rising well above the national average pace.
The middle school's enrollment is small, with a student body that is overwhelmingly white. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has a high rate of participation on state assessments, with nearly all tested students taking part.
On the Wisconsin Forward exams, performance varies by subject and grade level. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or above was below the midpoint of the state's proficiency range in sixth and seventh grades, while eighth grade math proficiency was higher, landing in a stronger position. In English language arts, the school's combined results across grades six through eight fell in a middle band, with no grade surpassing a bare majority of students reaching proficiency. Science results for the tested eighth grade cohort were around the halfway mark. Social studies results for eighth graders were the school's highest subject-area showing, with a clear majority of students scoring proficient or above.
When compared against middle schools in other St. Croix County districts, Glenwood City Middle's overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades placed in the bottom quartile. This positions the school below the median among its county peers. The comparison includes only a handful of districts in the county.
A major factor shaping the school's near-term future is a voter-approved operational referendum passed in late 2024. The measure allows the district to exceed Wisconsin's state revenue limit by a set amount per year for several years, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. The district had faced a budget deficit and stated that without the referendum, significant cuts to educational programs and staff would have been necessary. The referendum carries property-tax implications for residents, but it provides funding stability for programming and staffing through the end of the decade.
Parents evaluating this school will find a small rural middle school with a stable but not high-performing academic record relative to nearby districts. The student body is not particularly diverse. The district's recent financial referendum suggests that operational budgets have been tight, and the school's academic results indicate room for growth, particularly in math and English language arts, where proficiency rates in most grades did not reach a majority. The stronger showing in social studies and in eighth grade math points to areas of relative strength a parent may want to explore further with the school, such as how curriculum and instruction differ across subjects and grade levels.
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