Summary:
Middleton, Wisconsin is home to two public high schools serving grades 9–12, both part of the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District: the large Middleton High with 2,303 students, and the small Clark Street Community School with 108 students. Together they enroll 2,411 high schoolers, and Middleton High accounts for about 95.5% of that total. The district itself is high-performing, ranking 46th of 432 in Wisconsin (89th percentile, 4 stars).
Middleton High is the clear academic standout, consistently near the top of the state: 18th of 533 in 2025–26 (97th percentile, 5 stars), 9th of 431 in 2024–25, and 14th of 431 in 2023–24. Its 2025–26 proficiency rates are 74.72% in Social Studies, 74.60% in ELA, 69.60% in Math, and 68.27% in Science — roughly 25–27 points above the state in every subject and above the district in most. Its graduation rate is 95.4%, just above the district's 95.1% and well above the state's 92.0%, with a 0.2% dropout rate. The main concern is chronic absenteeism at 22.8%, higher than both the district (15.4%) and state (17.3%).
Clark Street Community School is far more variable, which is common for a school of 108 students. It ranked 226th of 533 (58th percentile, 3 stars) in 2025–26, 41st of 431 (5 stars) in 2024–25, and 248th of 431 (2 stars) in 2023–24. It offers a lower student-teacher ratio (11.3 vs. 15.3) and higher per-student spending ($17,468 vs. $16,092), alongside higher free/reduced lunch (25.93% vs. 17.85%). Test results range widely: Social Studies 70.59%, close to Middleton High's 74.72%, but Science 51.85%, ELA 51.72%, and Math 24.14% — a 45.46-point gap in Math. Math fell from 46.15% to 24.14% and Science from 75.00% to 51.85% year over year (its 2024–25 ELA result is not shown). Graduation is 88.4%, below district and state, and chronic absenteeism is 56.6%.
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