Olson Middle, Mauston WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Olson Middle

Olson Middle School serves students in grades six through eight in Mauston, a small city that functions as the Juneau County seat. The school is part of the Mauston School District, which recently passed an operational referendum that has allowed the district to restore positions, reduce class sizes, and rebuild programs tied to student growth. That suggests a district that is investing in its schools and responding to community support.

The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and small numbers of other racial groups. A substantial portion of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a significant level of economic need. Data on special education and English learner populations was not reported, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about these supports.

On state assessments, Olson Middle shows a pattern where proficiency rates increase as students move through the grades. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above rises from sixth grade through eighth grade, and the same upward trend appears in English language arts, where the eighth grade rate reaches the halfway mark. Science and social studies are tested only in eighth grade; the social studies result stands as the strongest among the tested subjects. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency across subjects and grades sits above the midpoint when compared with other districts in Juneau County. That is a positive signal, though the county contains only a small number of districts, so the comparison set is limited.

Because Olson Middle serves only middle school grades, no graduation rate is reported. The school does not offer high school-level programs such as Advanced Placement or dual credit, and no information on course access or extracurricular offerings was available from the data we reviewed. A parent looking for specific program details—such as music, arts, or athletics—should check with the school directly. Data on staffing, discipline, and attendance was also absent, so those are open questions a family would want to explore.

The school building itself is the former high school, repurposed for middle school use, reflecting the district’s history of adapting facilities rather than building new ones. The Mauston High School was rebuilt in a more recent year and sits on its own campus. The overall community character is rural and small-town, with essentially flat population growth in recent years. Families considering the area will find a modest housing market, with home values below the state average, consistent with the region’s economy.

Academically, Olson Middle presents a steady improvement in tested subjects across the three years a student spends there. The upward trend in both math and ELA is a strength that parents may want to ask about—how the school supports that growth, and what specific interventions or curriculum drive it. Given the recent district referendum, the school may be in a position to further develop its programs and staffing, which could be a meaningful factor for families deciding whether this is the right fit.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 39% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 754%

School 54% · District 51% · ▲ 3 pts above district

even with state median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 57% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 29% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 23 pts below state median

Grade 738%

School 38% · District 36% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 14 pts below state median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 46% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Science

Grade 845%

School 45% · District 43% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 6 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 66% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median

This schoolMauston 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-income18%Higher-income46%28 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income24%Higher-income53%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income39%Higher-income59%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income25%Higher-income60%35 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income71%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income75%25 pp gap