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De Forest Middle

Q: Is De Forest Middle a good school?

De Forest Middle ranks 127 th of 643 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

127^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 643 Wisconsin Middle Schools

Better than 80% of Wisconsin middle schools

Summary

De Forest Middle is a 7th–8th grade school in De Forest, Wisconsin, serving 602 students as part of the De Forest Area School District just north of Madison. In 2025–2026, it ranked 127th of 643 Wisconsin middle schools — the 80th percentile with 4 stars, its strongest showing since 2015–2016 and a clear step up from the 69th–70th percentile range in 2022–2024.

Test scores are above state averages in every reported subject and grade. Science 8 (70.79, nearly 19 points above the state) and Social Studies 8 (80.07, about 15 points above) are the standout strengths, followed by Math 8 (68.73) and Math 7 (63.89). ELA is also above state at 64.20 in 7th grade and 60.82 in 8th. Among nearby 8th-grade schools, only Waunakee Middle posts higher scores, while Poynette Middle is the closest overall academic peer — slightly stronger in ELA, while De Forest leads in Math 7, social studies, and science. Notably, De Forest spends $15,922 per student, less than Waunakee, Poynette, and most other comparison schools, and its student–teacher ratio of 12.4 is mid-pack.

Chronic absenteeism was 12.2% in 2024–2025 — below the state's 17.3% and below Whitehorse Middle, Sherman Middle, and Black Hawk Middle — though it rose from 7.9% and sits above the district average of 9.3%, making it a watch item. Dropout was 0.0%. The school's effectiveness rankings are notably high for English Language Learners (85th percentile) and Hispanic students (78th), while low-income students rank at the 59th percentile — below the school's overall 80th percentile, but up sharply from 37th in 2023–2024.

602

Students ?

12.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,922

Per pupil spending ?

19.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

404 Yorktown Rd
De Forest, WI 53532-1600

(608) 842-6000

District: De Forest Area School District

Students who attend De Forest Middle usually attend:

High:

De Forest High

Feeder schools for De Forest Middle:

Elementary:	Eagle Point Elementary
	Windsor Elementary
	Yahara Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.1%

Hispanic:

8.1%

Two or more races:

5.3%

See top rated Wisconsin middle schools

Compare De Forest Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 56th percentile in 2019 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (68% vs 56% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of Wisconsin middle schools

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 80th (2026) from a 56th-percentile low (2019)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg68%

Wisconsin avg56%

127^th of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Top 20%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From top 13% (2016) to top 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	75.6	127 of 643	80.2%	★★★★☆
2025	70.7	172 of 628	72.6%	★★★★☆
2024	67.9	194 of 641	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.2	197 of 640	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.6	157 of 617	74.6%	★★★★☆
2021	62.7	206 of 613	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.9	262 of 594	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	68.2	149 of 579	74.3%	★★★★☆
2017	67.6	164 of 612	73.2%	★★★★☆
2016	77.9	82 of 609	86.5%	★★★★☆
2015	68.1	162 of 612	73.5%	★★★★☆
2014	72.6	108 of 585	81.5%	★★★★☆
2013	75.8	85 of 569	85.1%	★★★★☆
2012	74.8	73 of 559	86.9%	★★★★☆
2011	72.2	103 of 549	81.2%	★★★★☆
2010	73.4	90 of 539	83.3%	★★★★☆
2009	74.2	82 of 521	84.3%	★★★★☆
2008	72.7	99 of 519	80.9%	★★★★☆
2007	75.7	54 of 366	85.2%	★★★★☆
2006	68.8	121 of 382	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2005	78.5	32 of 332	90.4%	★★★★★
2004	74.4	66 of 324	79.6%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	71.6	19 of 130	85.4%	★★★★☆
2022	82.6	10 of 125	92.0%	★★★★★
2021	64.2	28 of 134	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	28.8	92 of 127	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	51.8	48 of 123	61.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	84.2	20 of 97	79.4%	★★★★☆
2025	69.6	29 of 88	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	21.4	71 of 90	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	50.0	42 of 90	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	41.5	48 of 91	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.8	33 of 90	63.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	63.8	25 of 169	85.2%	★★★★☆
2025	84.5	9 of 178	94.9%	★★★★★
2024	48.7	70 of 173	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.7	24 of 170	85.9%	★★★★☆
2022	77.7	9 of 158	94.3%	★★★★★
2021	30.9	115 of 138	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	73.4	132 of 572	76.9%	★★★★☆
2025	73.0	130 of 573	77.3%	★★★★☆
2024	77.1	107 of 580	81.6%	★★★★☆
2023	68.8	150 of 579	74.1%	★★★★☆
2022	76.4	94 of 576	83.7%	★★★★☆
2021	69.5	136 of 574	76.3%	★★★★☆
2019	59.8	231 of 557	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.3	159 of 551	71.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	70.7	53 of 236	77.5%	★★★★☆
2025	72.4	52 of 237	78.1%	★★★★☆
2024	57.3	90 of 239	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	52.5	97 of 229	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	59.9	69 of 221	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.5	56 of 225	75.1%	★★★★☆
2019	74.6	31 of 209	85.2%	★★★★☆
2018	81.3	18 of 204	91.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	55.6	208 of 513	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	50.7	247 of 509	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.6	330 of 520	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	55.7	196 of 525	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.7	209 of 522	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	36.7	347 of 499	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.7	311 of 487	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.9	282 of 489	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	75.8	116 of 575	79.8%	★★★★☆
2025	65.0	194 of 577	66.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.2	276 of 585	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	59.7	220 of 591	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.1	210 of 577	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.4	248 of 572	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.6	270 of 557	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.8	140 of 551	74.6%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	65.6	37 of 135	72.6%	★★★★☆
2025	64.5	39 of 126	69.0%	★★★★☆
2024	35.0	95 of 131	27.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	58.0	50 of 132	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.2	81 of 126	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.8	58 of 129	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.7	65 of 101	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	60.7	35 of 96	63.5%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	62.2	115 of 439	73.8%	★★★★☆
2025	53.4	169 of 414	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.9	154 of 425	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.5	215 of 439	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.0	94 of 421	77.7%	★★★★☆
2021	41.7	254 of 437	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.3	327 of 414	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	55.0	143 of 417	65.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	65.6	117 of 391	70.1%	★★★★☆
2025	58.2	163 of 399	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.1	163 of 407	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.3	177 of 412	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.9	104 of 397	73.8%	★★★★☆
2021	56.2	161 of 393	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.7	224 of 382	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	59.3	137 of 375	63.5%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2023)85th percentile+16 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)85th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)80th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)79th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)78th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)77th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)74th percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)73rd percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)70th percentile-10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies80%+15 vs state

Science71%+19 vs state

Mathematics66%+12 vs state

English Language Arts63%+8 vs state

★

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Schools Near De Forest 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 4th Grade	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 4th 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 4th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
De Forest Middle	Public	7-8	404 Yorktown Rd	De Forest	53532	Dane County	De Forest Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 842-6000	602	48	12.4	19.8%	482 (80.1%)	14 (2.3%)	49 (8.1%)	23 (3.8%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.3%)	75.6	127^th of 643 public middle schools	80.2%		70.7	172^nd of 628 public middle schools	72.6%	45				64.2	60.8				63.9	68.7		80.1		70.8	$15,922	$329	$15,593
Harvest Intermediate School	Public	4-6	6781 North Towne Rd	DeForest	53532	Dane County	De Forest Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 842-6100	966	72	13.3	17.4%	774 (80.1%)	25 (2.6%)	75 (7.8%)	33 (3.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (5.9%)								(n/a)	60.1	62.7	65.8			60.7	67.5	68.2			69.4		62.2		$14,832	$348	$14,484
Prairie View Middle	Public	6-8	400 N Thompson Rd	Sun Prairie	53590	Dane County	Sun Prairie Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 834-7800	699	60	11.7	35.9%	320 (45.8%)	103 (14.7%)	99 (14.2%)	108 (15.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (9.4%)	58	281^st of 643 public middle schools	56.3%		51.2	341^st of 628 public middle schools	45.7%	60			57.9	52.4	65.3			48.4	52.0	62.0		68.1		53.1	$16,206	$246	$15,959
Black Hawk Middle	Public	6-8	1402 Wyoming Way	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-4360	300	34	8.7	70.3%	65 (21.7%)	93 (31.0%)	73 (24.3%)	37 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (10.0%)	14.1	562^nd of 643 public middle schools	12.6%		17.6	531^st of 628 public middle schools	15.4%	31			30.5	20.8	27.7			33.9	26.0	35.7		30.4		24.1	$22,919	$2,057	$20,862
Central Heights Middle	Public	6-8	220 Kroncke Dr	Sun Prairie	53590	Dane County	Sun Prairie Area School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(608) 834-8000	560	47	12.0	33.9%	295 (52.7%)	85 (15.2%)	74 (13.2%)	48 (8.6%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (9.3%)	50.1	357^th of 643 public middle schools	44.5%		49.3	354^th of 628 public middle schools	43.6%	3			54.8	64.6	40.4			57.6	63.2	47.4		52.3		40.7	$16,855	$249	$16,606
Waunakee Middle	Public	7-8	1001 South St	Waunakee	53597	Dane County	Waunakee Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 849-2060	667	66	10.1	12.6%	528 (79.2%)	17 (2.5%)	61 (9.1%)	28 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.9%)	89.6	29^th of 643 public middle schools	95.5%		86.4	48^th of 628 public middle schools	92.4%	19				77.4	78.5				80.3	77.1		85.9		78.2	$17,133	$360	$16,773
Patrick Marsh Middle	Public	6-8	1351 Columbus St	Sun Prairie	53590	Dane County	Sun Prairie Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 834-7600	581	48	12.1	29.1%	359 (61.8%)	41 (7.1%)	67 (11.5%)	56 (9.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (9.6%)	53.9	318^th of 643 public middle schools	50.5%		60.9	256^th of 628 public middle schools	59.2%	62			46.2	58.2	57.3			50.5	57.1	57.1		64.1		48.7	$16,766	$247	$16,518
Waunakee Intermediate	Public	5-6	6273 Woodland Dr	Waunakee	53597	Dane County	Waunakee Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 849-2176	661	57	11.6	9.5%	533 (80.6%)	13 (2.0%)	54 (8.2%)	29 (4.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.7%)								(n/a)		77.5	84.4				76.4	77.6							$16,651	$337	$16,314
Sherman Middle	Public	6-8	1610 Ruskin St	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-2100	400	36	11.0	60.0%	115 (28.8%)	96 (24.0%)	122 (30.5%)	25 (6.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (10.0%)	24.2	525^th of 643 public middle schools	18.4%		19.2	525^th of 628 public middle schools	16.4%				40.3	37.1	39.4			36.0	41.0	30.4		45.7		34.8	$19,194	$1,214	$17,981
Whitehorse Middle	Public	6-8	218 Schenk St	Madison	53714	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-4480	415	33	12.6	59.0%	111 (26.7%)	131 (31.6%)	103 (24.8%)	20 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (11.3%)	22.4	529^th of 643 public middle schools	17.7%		22.1	512^th of 628 public middle schools	18.5%	17			28.5	39.1	38.5			21.7	43.2	38.5		48.7		31.6	$18,641	$1,220	$17,421

Frequently Asked Questions about De Forest Middle

What is the racial makeup of De Forest Middle?

Students at De Forest Middle are 80% White, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian, 2% African American.

What district is De Forest Middle in?

De Forest Area School District

What high school do graduates of De Forest Middle attend?

Students who attend De Forest Middle usually go on to attend De Forest High

How many students attend De Forest Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 602 students attended De Forest Middle.

Is De Forest Middle a good school?

De Forest Middle ranks 127^th of 643 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate De Forest Middle!

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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.