Wisconsin Dells Middle School, Wisconsin Dells WI

Original Research by School Decision on Wisconsin Dells Middle School

Wisconsin Dells Middle School serves grades six through eight in the Wisconsin Dells School District, a public system in a small city whose economy turns on tourism. The town draws millions of visitors each year to its waterparks, resorts, and the scenic Wisconsin River gorge, but the year-round residential base is modest. The middle school sits on Race Street. No recent district-wide changes such as a referendum, curriculum adoption, or facility project met the bar for inclusion in the district brief; parents should check directly with the district for any current initiatives.

The school enrolls a student body that is mostly white, with a substantial Hispanic share and a smaller American Indian or Alaska Native presence. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that places the school above the district's median for economic need. Special population data for students with individualized education programs and English learners was not reported; parents may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

State test results from the Forward assessment show a mixed academic picture. In math, seventh graders reached a higher proficiency rate than sixth graders, while eighth graders landed between the two; overall math proficiency for the school fell below the midpoint among districts in Columbia County. English language arts results were similar, with seventh graders again the strongest cohort and sixth and eighth graders somewhat lower. The combined proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places Wisconsin Dells Middle School below the midpoint relative to other districts in the county. In eighth-grade science, just under half of students scored proficient, while eighth-grade social studies came in at a higher rate. These are the scores from a single year, and a parent may want to discuss with the school how performance has shifted over time and what interventions are in place for subjects where fewer students reach proficiency.

The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It is not a Title I school, though that status was not fully clarified in the data. There is no information on discipline rates, course access, or staffing ratios, so those areas remain open questions for a family weighing this school.

Housing in the Wisconsin Dells area is priced near the state median for single-family homes, and monthly mortgage costs are moderate relative to the national median household income. Rental costs require a smaller share of income than a mortgage does, which means families who rent may find the market less stretched than buyers do.

For a family considering this school, the core takeaway is a middle school where proficiency rates vary by subject and grade, and where the overall academic picture sits below the county middle point. The student body reflects the community's demographic mix and includes a notable share of families with lower incomes. The quality of day-to-day instruction, special education supports, and enrichment programming are areas where the available data is silent, so a conversation with the school and a visit would give a parent a fuller sense of whether this environment fits their child.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 51%

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 62% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 659%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 857%

School 57% · District 58% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Science

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 47% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 866%

School 66% · District 66% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median

This schoolWisconsin Dells 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-income50%Higher-income71%21 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income45%Higher-income79%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income49%Higher-income67%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income66%25 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income54%Higher-income83%29 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income78%30 pp gap