Summary:
ZIP code 55904 has two middle schools serving grades 6–8 in the Rochester Public School District: Willow Creek Middle School, a larger traditional school with 864 students, and Middle School Alternative Learning Center, a small alternative school with 31 students. Together they enroll 895 middle-school students, and Willow Creek accounts for about 96.5% of that enrollment, so ZIP-level averages mostly reflect Willow Creek.
Willow Creek is the higher-performing and improving school. Its state rank moved from 308 to 252 to 206 over three years, reaching 206 of 546 schools, the 62nd percentile, and 3 stars. Reading proficiency rose from 42.99% to 47.2%, and math improved slightly from 35.94% to 37.1%, while science slipped from 21.72% to 19%. The Alternative Learning Center ranks 524 of 546, at the 4th percentile with 0 stars, and reports 0% math, 17% reading, and 0% science proficiency in 2025–2026. Its 2024–2025 science value is suppressed by the state, so it is unknown, not zero. The center also has a higher free/reduced-price lunch rate, 61.29%, compared with 35.53% at Willow Creek. With only 31 students, its percentages can shift sharply.
For parents, the same district can contain very different school experiences. The district is ranked 227 of 458, at the 50th percentile with 3 stars, but that average hides the gap between these schools. Willow Creek beats district averages in math at all three grade levels; its 7th-grade reading score of 45.1% is above the state’s 43.5%; and its 8th-grade science score of 19% is above the district’s 18.8% and the state’s 16.7%. Still, its all-grade science score is below district and state science averages. The Alternative Learning Center’s strongest reported result is 8th-grade reading at 30%, though that remains below district and state averages. Student-teacher ratio data is blank for both schools, so staffing comparisons are not available.
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