The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Social studies. The lowest is 34% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maplewood Middle
Maplewood Middle School is a regular public school serving grades six through eight in Menasha, Wisconsin. It is part of the Menasha Joint School District. For a family considering this school, the most direct evidence available comes from state assessment results for the 2024-2025 school year, and those results describe a school where proficiency rates sit below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Winnebago County.
In mathematics, the share of students reaching proficient was just under half in sixth grade and just over half in seventh grade, with eighth grade landing very close to the halfway mark. In English language arts, the proficient rates were a bit lower across all three grades, falling in the range of roughly two-fifths of students. Science testing, which takes place only in eighth grade, showed about a third of students proficient. Social studies, also tested in eighth grade, showed half of students proficient. Across every tested subject and grade, participation rates were very high, consistently near full participation, which means the results offer a reliable picture of the school's performance that year. The overall proficiency index for the school places it in the bottom quartile among districts within Winnebago County, a comparison that is anchored to the county districts only.
The building serves an enrollment that is moderately sized for a middle school. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who are Black, Asian, multiracial, or from other backgrounds. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals that a significant portion of families are drawing on economic support. This metric is often used as a proxy for the level of economic need in the student population. The school did not report data on the share of students with individualized education programs or English learner status, so a family with a child who needs either type of support would want to ask the school directly about its staffing and services in those areas.
Menasha itself is a city in the Fox Cities region with a strong industrial and manufacturing heritage, particularly around paper production. It sits on the Fox River and Lake Winnebago. The housing market in the area shows home values and rents that are somewhat below national benchmarks, which may matter to a family thinking about affordability when moving into the district. The city has seen steady population growth in recent decades. The closure of the UW-Oshkosh Fox Cities Campus in 2025 is a notable institutional change, though it is not clear yet how that shift affects the K-12 system.
The district brief turned up no evidence of recent major changes such as referendums, curriculum shifts, facility overhauls, or property tax adjustments that would be immediately relevant to a parent researching the schools. That absence does not mean nothing has happened; it means the search did not surface publicly reported information on the topic. A family moving into the area would need to ask the district office directly about any upcoming plans or recent developments.
For a family choosing this school, the academic numbers are the central fact. The school is not reaching high proficiency rates at this time, and it sits lower in performance relative to other districts in the same county. That is not a verdict but a description of the available test data. A parent who values strong state assessment outcomes would want to investigate further, ask about academic interventions and curriculum supports, and learn how the school is working to move those numbers. A family whose priority is the specific community setting, the moderate enrollment size, or the economic composition of the student body may find this school a natural fit regardless. The data does not provide information on programs, staffing ratios, or discipline, so those are additional topics a prospective family would need to pursue with the school directly.
See more original research from School Decision →