Black River Falls Middle

Black River Falls Middle is a public school in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, serving 327 students in grades 6–8 as part of the Black River Falls School District. It is the only school within 20 miles, so nearby-school comparisons are not available; the clearest benchmarks are the district and the state.

In 2025–2026, the school ranked 521st of 643 Wisconsin middle schools, in the 19th percentile with 1 star. The district ranked 404th of 432 districts, in the 6th percentile with 0 stars. The school has generally been in the bottom third of the state over the past decade, with a high point of 43rd percentile in 2020–2021 before falling back to 19th percentile in 2025–2026. Every reported 2025–2026 Forward Exam proficiency result was below the state average. Math gaps were largest: 8th-grade math was 29.13% proficient versus 53.67% statewide, and 7th-grade math was 35.71% versus 55.67%. 8th-grade ELA was 36.89% versus 54.38%, and 6th-grade ELA was 37.86% versus 54.95%. Science and social studies were also below state. No reported student group exceeded the 24th percentile, including students with disabilities and low-income students.

Attendance is a major challenge. In 2024–2025, 26.2% of students were chronically absent, compared with 17.3% statewide, and the dropout rate was 3.2% versus 1.1% statewide. More than 60% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch, and per-student spending rose to $15,905, while the student-teacher ratio worsened from 11.2 to 12.7. Overall, the school faces low achievement, high absenteeism, and economic disadvantage. The most urgent academic gaps are in mathematics, especially 8th-grade math, and 8th-grade ELA. Occasional subject strengths in prior years, such as science and social studies, have not been sustained.