Richland Center Intermediate School, Richland Center WI

Original Research by School Decision on Richland Center Intermediate School

Richland Center Intermediate School serves grades three through six in the Richland School District, a regular public school in the small county seat of Richland Center, Wisconsin. The school sits along State Highway 80 on the edge of town, drawing from a community that blends residential neighborhoods, a historic downtown, and a manufacturing and agriculture-centered economy.

State testing data from the Forward assessment shows a mixed picture across subjects and grades. In math, proficiency rates at the school varied notably by grade level, with the strongest result in fourth grade and weaker ones in third and fifth grades. ELA proficiency also showed a range, again with fourth graders performing at a higher level than students in other grades. Science and social studies are tested only in fourth grade, and in both subjects a majority of students scored at the proficient level or above. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint relative to the two districts in Richland County, meaning it performs stronger than the lower end of the county but slightly below the top.

The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly White, with a substantial Hispanic presence and smaller numbers of students identifying as two or more races, Black, or Asian. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the community. The school draws from a town where housing costs are below the state average, and the local economy is anchored by manufacturing, dairy processing, healthcare, and agriculture. The community describes itself as stable and modest in growth, with no major new housing developments or rapid population changes identified.

Because Richland Center Intermediate serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report and no high school course access data. Information on discipline, chronic absenteeism, staffing, and special populations such as students with disabilities or English learners was not available in the provided data. A parent who wants details on those areas would need to follow up directly with the school or district. The district itself has been stable in recent years, with no major referendum or curriculum overhaul publicly reported.

The school sits within a town that values its downtown core, with a historic district, a Frank Lloyd Wright building, and community amenities like parks and trails. The setting is auto-oriented but walkable in the center, and the school buildings are on campuses outside the downtown area. For families considering the area, Richland Center offers a small-town environment with access to regional employment centers roughly an hour away in Madison or La Crosse.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 25 pts below state median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 47%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 21 pts below state median

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 13 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 36%

▼ 18 pts below state median

Science

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 11 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 65%

even with state median

This schoolRichland 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 3Lower-income24%Higher-income50%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income55%Higher-income58%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income37%Higher-income69%33 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income43%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income33%Higher-income61%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income26%Higher-income35%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income19%Higher-income47%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income54%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income39%10 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income43%5 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income44%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income9%Higher-income24%15 pp gap