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Unity Middle

Q: Is Unity Middle a good school?

Unity Middle ranks 401 st of 643 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

401^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 643 Wisconsin Middle Schools

Better than 38% of Wisconsin middle schools

Summary

Unity Middle in Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, is a grades 5–8 school serving 238 students in the Unity School District, a mid-sized rural school in an area with high economic need. In 2025–2026, it ranked 401st of 643 Wisconsin middle schools, in the 38th percentile with 2 stars—a notable drop from the prior three years, when it ranked in the 54th–62nd percentile with 3 stars. The district context is weaker: Unity School District ranks 331st of 432 districts, in the 23rd percentile with 1 star. Every nearby middle school ranked higher in 2025–2026, from Luck Middle at the 54th percentile to Amery Middle at the 93rd percentile.

Test results are uneven by grade. Grade 7 is a clear strength: 64.52% proficient in English language arts and 66.13% in math, both above state averages. Grades 5, 6, and 8 are much weaker, especially in math. In 2025–2026, grade 5 math was 32.88% versus 51.81% statewide; grade 6 math was 30.19% versus 53.6%; and grade 8 math was 29.03% versus 53.67%—the lowest among nearby schools, where the range was about 49.37% to 86.52%. Grade 6 ELA was also a major concern at 28.3%. Grade 8 social studies (67.74%) and science (53.23%) were above state averages. The clearest need is targeted math support across multiple grades.

Subgroup effectiveness shows a gap: female students ranked at the 50th percentile with 3 stars, while male students ranked at the 25th percentile with 1 star, down from the 59th percentile in 2023–2024. Special education effectiveness improved to the 48th percentile, but low-SES student effectiveness fell to the 43rd percentile. Positives include chronic absenteeism at 14.3%, lower than the district’s 18.6% and the state’s 17.3%, a dropout rate of 0.8%, and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.6. Unity has high economic need, with 50.42% free/reduced lunch, and spends $14,261 per student—moderate-to-low nearby; for example, Clayton Middle’s district spends $19,351, though Clayton is small. Unity Middle is a high-need school with favorable class size and improving absenteeism, but its 2025–2026 decline is concentrated in grades 5, 6, and 8, especially math, and in outcomes for male students.

238

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,261

Per pupil spending ?

50.4%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1908 150th St
Balsam Lake, WI 54810-7267

(715) 825-2101

District: Unity School District

Students who attend Unity Middle usually attend:

High:

Unity High

Feeder schools for Unity Middle:

Elementary:

Unity Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

87.8%

American Indian:

5.9%

Two or more races:

4.2%

See top rated Wisconsin middle schools

Compare Unity Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 62nd percentile in 2024 → 38th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (46% vs 55% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 62nd-percentile peak (2024) to 38th (2026)

!Mathematics scores 14 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg46%

Wisconsin avg55%

401^st of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 38%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 29% (2016) to bottom 38% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

331^st of 432Unity School District among Wisconsin districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	44.4	401 of 643	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	58.9	272 of 628	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.7	241 of 641	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.4	297 of 640	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.6	414 of 617	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.9	333 of 613	45.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.0	339 of 594	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.6	380 of 579	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	46.5	341 of 612	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	36.1	434 of 609	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	34.5	468 of 612	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	42.3	418 of 585	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	39.5	424 of 569	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	61.3	251 of 559	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	53.2	342 of 549	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2010	54.1	313 of 539	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	59.6	257 of 521	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.6	205 of 519	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	56.2	227 of 366	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	61.2	191 of 382	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2004	48.3	229 of 324	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	285 of 572	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.8	190 of 573	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.2	197 of 580	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.1	252 of 579	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.7	351 of 576	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.3	282 of 574	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.3	256 of 557	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.9	331 of 551	39.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	45.2	292 of 513	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.4	167 of 509	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	239 of 520	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.8	159 of 525	69.7%	★★★★☆
2022	30.2	398 of 522	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	51.3	216 of 499	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.7	206 of 487	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.5	297 of 489	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	33.1	433 of 575	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.4	345 of 577	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.9	241 of 585	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.3	295 of 591	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	34.8	403 of 577	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.9	346 of 572	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.5	374 of 557	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	37.1	390 of 551	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Native American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	48.7	8 of 15	46.7%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	45.0	228 of 439	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	28.0	315 of 414	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.6	337 of 425	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.8	262 of 439	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.6	318 of 421	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.3	305 of 437	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.2	230 of 414	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.3	248 of 417	40.5%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	33.1	272 of 391	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	52.3	196 of 399	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.7	160 of 407	60.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.1	227 of 412	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.9	315 of 397	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	46.1	214 of 393	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.9	269 of 382	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2026)50th percentile+13 vs school

Special Education (2026)48th percentile+10 vs school

Native American (2023)47th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)43rd percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)30th percentile-7 vs school

Male (2026)25th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies68%+3 vs state

Science53%~ state avg

English Language Arts46%-9 vs state

Mathematics40%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Unity Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)				Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)				Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)	Forward Exam Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Unity Middle	Public	5-8	1908 150th St	Balsam Lake	54810	Polk County	Unity School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 825-2101	238	20	11.6	50.4%	209 (87.8%)	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.2%)	44.4	401^st of 643 public middle schools	37.6%		58.9	272^nd of 628 public middle schools	56.7%	129	43.8	28.3	64.5	45.2	32.9	30.2	66.1	29.0	67.7	53.2	$14,261	$660	$13,601
Luck Middle	Public	6-8	810 S 7th St	Luck	54853	Polk County	Luck School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 472-2152	82	9	8.9	30.5%	77 (93.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.4%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.4%)	56.6	296^th of 643 public middle schools	54.0%		42.5	419^th of 628 public middle schools	33.3%	123		40.9	50.0	50.0		45.5	69.2	75.0	66.7	58.3	$15,757	$837	$14,921
Saint Croix Falls Middle	Public	5-8	740 Maple Dr	Saint Croix Falls	54024	Polk County	Saint Croix Falls School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 483-2507	297	18	16.5	32.3%	271 (91.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	12 (4.0%)	62.1	237^th of 643 public middle schools	63.1%		71.2	166^th of 628 public middle schools	73.6%	71	64.6	73.2	67.6	58.2	49.4	71.8	59.2	49.4	53.2	51.9	$14,069	$92	$13,978
Amery Middle	Public	6-8	501 Minneapolis Ave S	Amery	54001	Polk County	Amery School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 268-9771	275	27	10.2	37.1%	242 (88.0%)	3 (1.1%)	14 (5.1%)	4 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.4%)	86	45^th of 643 public middle schools	93.0%		77.9	104^th of 628 public middle schools	83.4%	59		72.7	69.0	78.7		74.4	75.9	86.5	83.2	71.9	$20,993	$794	$20,199
Osceola Middle	Public	5-8	1029 Oak Ridge Drive	Osceola	54020	Polk County	Osceola School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 294-4180	398	31	12.8	23.6%	363 (91.2%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (3.8%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.5%)	71.5	164^th of 643 public middle schools	74.5%		82.1	76^th of 628 public middle schools	87.9%	88	59.8	58.1	62.0	61.5	64.4	64.4	68.5	75.0	75.0	59.4	$13,297	$322	$12,975
Turtle Lake Middle	Public	6-8	205 Oak St N	Turtle Lake	54889	Barron County	Turtle Lake School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 986-4470	96	7	13.7	39.6%	78 (81.3%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.2%)	1 (1.0%)	5 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (7.3%)	72.3	158^th of 643 public middle schools	75.4%		58.7	273^rd of 628 public middle schools	56.5%	115		64.7	57.1	81.1		52.9	42.9	64.9	83.8	78.4	$14,772	$1,089	$13,683
Clayton Middle	Public	5-8	236 Polk Ave W	Clayton	54004	Polk County	Clayton School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 948-2163	46	4	10.9	52.2%	43 (93.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (4.3%)	1 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	64.4	212^th of 643 public middle schools	67.0%		62.9	233^rd of 628 public middle schools	62.9%	21	50.0	57.9	61.5	66.7	64.3	36.8	61.5	66.7	83.3	66.7	$19,351	$406	$18,945
Clear Lake Junior High	Public	7-8	1101 3rd St SW	Clear Lake	54005	Polk County	Clear Lake School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 263-2113	72	5	14.0	19.4%	69 (95.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.8%)	60.8	258^th of 643 public middle schools	59.9%		74	130^th of 628 public middle schools	79.3%	128			50.0	42.5			68.8	67.5	72.5	57.5	$15,006	$334	$14,671

Frequently Asked Questions about Unity Middle

What is the racial makeup of Unity Middle?

Students at Unity Middle are 88% White, 6% American Indian, 4% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of Unity Middle attend?

Students who attend Unity Middle usually go on to attend Unity High

Is Unity Middle a good school?

Unity Middle ranks 401^st of 643 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Unity Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 238 students attended Unity Middle.

What district is Unity Middle in?

Unity School District

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2018–19 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 20, 2026

2016–17 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.