Northwood Elementary, Minong WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Northwood Elementary

Northwood Elementary serves students from four-year-old kindergarten through fifth grade in Minong, a small rural village in Washburn County. The school is part of the Northwood School District and is designated a charter school. The village itself, located along US Highway 53 and Wisconsin Highway 77, has a population that has remained largely flat for decades, with a modest decline in recent estimates. The local economy is tied to Jack Link's Snack Food Company, the beef jerky brand that originated here and remains a dominant employer. The area is car-dependent, with limited street life and few commercial amenities. Housing values in the surrounding area sit slightly below the state average but have seen recent appreciation. A recently authorized districtwide referendum for building improvements and an increase in the property tax rate are factors that families considering a move here may want to weigh.

The school is small, and reading and math scores on the state Forward assessment present a picture that a parent will want to understand closely. In math, proficiency rates across third, fourth, and fifth grades were each well below what many families expect. English language arts results were mixed: a notable share of fifth graders met or exceeded the bar, and a sizable share of fourth graders did as well, but no third graders reached that threshold. A parent may want to discuss the early literacy approach with the school. The district has recently adopted a new elementary English Language Arts curriculum based on the science of reading, in compliance with a recent state law requiring that shift. This new curriculum is just being implemented, which could be a relevant point for families with younger children.

Science and social studies testing occurs only in fourth grade. In science, a modest share of students met the proficiency standard. In social studies, half of the tested students were proficient. Compared to other districts in Washburn County, this school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. Given the small size of the testing cohorts, a single year's results can swing considerably, but the pattern is one that a family should explore directly with school leadership.

The student body is predominantly white, with a small share of Hispanic students and a similar share of students identifying as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a majority of families in the community face economic challenges. The school serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, so there is no graduation rate or high school course data to report.

The charter designation means the school operates with some flexibility from district rules, though it remains a public school open to all students in the district. Families looking for a wide range of test scores or high overall proficiency rates will find a soft spot here and should investigate further. For families who value a small rural school, a community anchored by a single large employer, and a district that is investing in its facilities and shifting to a phonics-based reading curriculum, Northwood Elementary may be worth a closer look, particularly if parents become engaged with the school's academic progress.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 38%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 49 pts below state median

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 29% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 13% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 33 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 30%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 53 pts below state median

Grade 436%

School 36% · District 38% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 547%

School 47% · District 44% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median

Science

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 33% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 15 pts below state median

This schoolNorthwood 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 4Lower-income17%Higher-income60%43 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income63%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income17%Higher-income40%23 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income22%Higher-income13%10 pp gap