The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in Social studies. The lowest is 73% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Waunakee Middle
Waunakee Middle School serves seventh and eighth graders in the Waunakee Community School District, a regular public school that sits in a fast-growing suburb of Madison. With an enrollment of several hundred students split nearly evenly across two grades, it is a focused middle-school setting rather than a combined K-8 or a large comprehensive campus. A parent considering this school will find strong academic results and a community shaped by steady residential growth and a relatively affluent housing market.
On state assessments, the school’s performance stands out. In math, a strong majority of seventh graders and a clear majority of eighth graders scored proficient or above. In English language arts, the share was similarly high in both grades. Eighth-grade science and social studies results also showed large majorities reaching proficiency. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it among the top tier of schools within Dane County—a county known for several high-performing districts. The participation rates were very high, which adds confidence that the results reflect broad student performance. Parents can expect their children to encounter a learning environment where meeting state standards is the norm for most students.
The student body is predominantly white, with smaller but noticeable groups of Hispanic, Asian, multiracial, and Black students. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals is modest, indicating an overall low level of economic disadvantage. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided records; a parent with a child in either category may want to ask the school directly about special education services and language support.
The community context reinforces the school’s profile. Waunakee is a village that blends suburban residential streets with a compact downtown and a business park. It has been growing steadily, with new apartment buildings on Main Street, streetscape improvements, and a planned new middle school that broke ground in 2024 and is expected to open in fall 2026. That new building is separate from the current Waunakee Middle, but it signals that the district is investing in capacity for a rising enrollment. The district recently opened a new elementary school in 2024, which redrew attendance boundaries. Home values in the area are well above the state median, and rents are similarly elevated, consistent with the village’s desirability as a Madison-adjacent suburb with good schools.
Because Waunakee Middle only includes seventh and eighth grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not offer the range of programs—such as AP or career-technical courses—that a high school would. That is a natural fit for its grade band. The school’s academic profile is its strongest signal: consistently high proficiency on state tests, backed by the stability and resources of a district that is a major local employer and that has recently expanded its facilities. A family moving to this area should find a middle school where most students arrive at high school well prepared, but they may also want to look into specific support structures for any child who needs extra help, given that the data on special populations was not provided. The combination of strong test results, a growing community, and above-average housing costs paints a picture of a school that reflects the broader advantages of its setting.
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