Summary:
Maple School District has one middle school, Northwestern Middle in Poplar, Wisconsin, serving grades 6–8 with 289 students. The district is ranked 179th of 432 in Wisconsin, at the 59th percentile with 3 stars, and because there is only one middle school, its test results are also the district’s middle-school results. Overall, Northwestern Middle remains above the state average, but its 2025–26 results show a recent step back from a stronger 2024–25.
Academically, math is the clearest strength. In 2025–26, all three grades exceeded the state in math: 6th grade 73.12% proficient (19.52 points above state), 7th grade 67.50% (11.83 points above), and 8th grade 60.40% (6.73 points above). ELA was mixed: 6th grade reached 72.04% (17.09 points above state) and 7th grade was 61.25% (5.92 points above), while 8th grade ELA was 47.52%, 6.86 points below state. Science 8 was 48.51%, 3.35 points below state, and Social Studies 8 was 64.36%, essentially at state. The school’s all-assessment average was 61.84%, above the state’s 55.51%, but down from 66.24% in 2024–25. Science fell 12.71 points, Social Studies 6.05 points, and math 5.85 points, while ELA rose slightly. The school’s rank moved from the 77th percentile with 4 stars in 2024–25 to the 66th percentile with 3 stars in 2025–26.
Non-academic indicators are a major positive: the school reported 0.0% dropout and 6.9% chronic absenteeism, better than the district’s 12.6% and the state’s 17.3% chronic absenteeism. Context: 32.87% free/reduced-price lunch, $12,406 per-student spending, and a 17.6 student-teacher ratio. For parents, the key takeaway is that Northwestern Middle generally outperforms Wisconsin, especially in math and attendance, but 8th-grade ELA, math, and science are the main areas to watch.
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