Summary:
Barron Area School District in western Wisconsin has just one middle-level school, Riverview Middle, which serves grades 5–8 to 282 students in the city of Barron. The district as a whole ranks 392 of 432 in Wisconsin (9th percentile, 0 stars), while Riverview Middle ranks 458 of 643 (29th percentile, 1 star) in 2025–2026 — the same 1-star, high-20s percentile position it has held for three straight years.
Attendance is the clearest strength. Chronic absenteeism at Riverview is 11.0%, well below Wisconsin's 17.3%, and the dropout rate is 0.0%. Math is also stronger than ELA. In 2025–2026, 6th grade math is 54.1% proficient, slightly above the state's 53.6%, and 8th grade math is 53.62%, essentially level with the state. In 2024–2025, 5th grade math (58.62% vs 52.58%) and 7th grade math (65.75% vs 55.53%) both beat the state.
ELA is the weaker subject: the school averages 40.07% proficient versus the state's 54.57%. Seventh grade in 2025–2026 is the biggest red flag, with ELA at 30.88% and math at 29.41% — both more than 24 points below state. Fifth grade ELA (32.2% vs 53.63%) is also a large gap. Science and social studies improved year over year but remain below state. With $18,060 spent per student, a 10.9:1 student-teacher ratio, and 55.67% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, the data suggest targeted help in 7th grade and ELA may matter more than broad resource increases. Note that with one school and small grade-level cohorts, year-to-year changes reflect grade-level patterns rather than true growth.
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