Summary:
Colby, Wisconsin has one middle school, Colby Middle, serving grades 6–8 with 204 students in the Colby School District. It is located at 703 N 2nd St and reports a 13.8 student-to-teacher ratio, 59.8% free/reduced lunch, and $18,727 per-student spending for 2024–2025. Its rank history shows 550 out of 643 schools (14th percentile, 1 star) in 2025–2026, 521 out of 628 (17th percentile, 1 star) in 2024–2025, and 529 out of 641 (17th percentile, 1 star) in 2023–2024.
Academically, Colby Middle is below Wisconsin state averages in every reported Forward Exam subject and grade across 2024–2025 and 2025–2026. In 2025–2026, its average proficiency was about 32.8% versus a state average of about 55.5%, a gap of roughly 22.8 percentage points; in 2024–2025, the school averaged about 33.9% versus about 54.4%, a gap of roughly 20.5 points. The strongest 2025–2026 results were 7th grade ELA at 44.44% and 7th grade math at 38.89%, though both remained below state. The largest gaps were 6th grade ELA at 23.88% (state 54.95%) and 8th grade ELA at 25.00% (state 54.38%). Math improved year over year (+3.40 points on average), while ELA, science, and social studies declined.
The clearest strengths are attendance and dropout prevention: the dropout rate was 0.0% in 2024–2025, compared with 1.1% statewide, and chronic absenteeism was 8.3%, compared with 17.3% statewide and 8.9% in the district. The district as a whole ranks 413 out of 432 (4th percentile, 0 stars), lower than the school’s percentile, so Colby Middle is not the district’s weakest segment even though it remains well below state norms. The school faces a high-poverty context (59.8% free/reduced lunch) and relatively high per-student spending, but spending alone has not translated into state-level test proficiency; the data does not establish causation.
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