Middle Schools in Kenosha School District

There are four middle schools in Kenosha School District — Mahone Middle, Lance Middle, Bullen Middle, and Washington Middle — all serving grades 6–8 and enrolling 3,223 students combined. The district ranks 340 of 432 statewide, at the 21st percentile with 1 star, so these schools operate in a fairly low-performing state context. All four report 0.0% dropout in 2024-25, below the district's 1.2% and the state's 1.1%.

The data splits these schools into two clear tiers. Mahone Middle is the largest, with 1,025 students, the lowest free/reduced-lunch rate (37.37%), and the lowest per-student spending ($13,811) — and it posts the strongest results: the top social studies proficiency at 67.3% and the top 8th-grade ELA proficiency at 57.23%, both above state averages, plus math near 50–52%. Its 2025-26 rank percentile is 48 with 2 stars, and chronic absenteeism is 24.4%, below the district's 27.6%. Lance Middle, with 899 students and a 45.94% free/reduced-lunch rate, is second: its 6th-grade ELA of 56.14% leads the group and beats the state's 54.95%, and its simple average proficiency improved the most, from about 46.0% to 50.1%. It ranks at the 38th percentile with 2 stars.

Bullen Middle and Washington Middle lag well behind. Bullen, with 754 students and a 69.1% free/reduced-lunch rate, has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 23.2%, below the district's 27.6% — a genuine bright spot — but ELA sits around 34–35%, social studies at 36.36%, and science at 24.51%, with a rank percentile of 14 and 1 star. Washington is the smallest school at 545 students, has the highest free/reduced-lunch rate at 82.2%, spends the most per student at $17,403, and has the smallest classes at a 12.5 ratio, yet has the weakest outcomes: ELA near 23%, 8th-grade math at 10.96% versus 53.67% statewide, science at 20.55%, chronic absenteeism at 42.3%, and a rank percentile of 8 with 0 stars. In short, Mahone and Lance perform near district norms and sometimes near state levels, while Bullen and Washington need the most support on achievement and attendance.