Rosendale-brandon Middle, Rosendale WI

Original Research by School Decision on Rosendale-brandon Middle

Rosendale-Brandon Middle serves students in sixth through eighth grade and is the only middle school in the Rosendale-Brandon School District. The school sits on Main Street in the small village of Rosendale, a rural community about a short drive west of Fond du Lac. The village itself is compact, with a downtown anchored by the intersection of two state highways, and its population has been stable in recent years. Housing in the area is modestly priced relative to national norms, with a substantial share of residents owning their homes. The school draws from both Rosendale and the neighboring village of Brandon, though the middle school is located in Rosendale.

The student body is small and not very diverse. The vast majority of students are white, and there is a low share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic disadvantage. The school serves a regular middle-school population with no charter or magnet designation, and it is not a Title I school, which reflects the relatively higher-income profile of the community.

On state assessments administered through the Wisconsin Forward exam, Rosendale-Brandon Middle shows a pattern of academic performance that generally strengthens as students move through the grades. In mathematics, the proportion of students scoring at proficient or above rises from a modest level in sixth grade to a stronger showing by eighth grade. English language arts results are more varied: sixth and seventh grade both post solid proficiency rates, but eighth grade dips to a noticeably lower level, a point a parent may want to inquire about with the school. In science, only eighth graders are tested, and a large majority reach proficiency. Social studies results in eighth grade are similarly strong. Overall, when the school’s performance is measured across all tested subjects and grades, it lands above the midpoint relative to other districts in Fond du Lac County. That is a solid standing for a middle school of this size.

Because Rosendale-Brandon Middle serves only grades six through eight, there is no graduation rate to report, and the state does not test grades below third, so the data available is limited to these middle-school years. The school does not appear to report chronic absenteeism data in the available records, and no information on program offerings such as advanced coursework, electives, or extracurriculars was provided. The district brief turned up no recent major changes or initiatives to describe, suggesting a period of relative stability.

For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a small, homogeneous middle school in a rural village where house prices are moderate and the community is quiet. Academically, students perform above the county average overall, with math showing a clear upward trend and science and social studies also strong. The eighth-grade ELA result is the main soft spot. The lack of detailed program information means that a parent interested in specific course options or enrichment would want to contact the school directly. What is clear is that the school serves its middle-grade population in a stable, low-poverty context, and that its academic outcomes, with one exception, are a strength relative to neighboring districts.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 768%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 79%

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 9 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Science

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 876%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

This schoolRosendale-Brandon 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-income67%Higher-income57%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income57%Higher-income62%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income52%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income58%Higher-income60%1 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income71%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income82%32 pp gap