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Highland Community Middle

Q: Is Highland Community Middle a good school?

Highland Community Middle ranks 451 st of 628 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

451^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 628 Wisconsin Middle Schools

Better than 28% of Wisconsin middle schools

Summary

Highland Community Middle is a small, rural school in Highland, WI, serving just 58 students in grades 6-8, making it the smallest middle school in its area. While the school has shown it can achieve excellence—earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the 91st percentile a decade ago—it has experienced a significant and concerning decline, now holding a 1-star rating and ranking in the 28th percentile for the 2024-2025 school year. This downward trend is a central challenge, especially when compared to nearby schools like River Valley Middle and River Ridge Middle, which have maintained consistently high rankings.

The most critical area of concern is 8th-grade mathematics, where only 13.33% of students were proficient in 2024-2025—a figure dramatically lower than the state average of 53.06% and far below every nearby school, such as Dodgeville Middle (49.15%) and Fennimore Middle (55.56%). This suggests a specific problem with the 8th-grade math curriculum or instruction. On a positive note, the school has a low chronic absenteeism rate of 9.4%, well below the state average of 17.3%, and a low student-teacher ratio of 12.5:1, indicating that attendance and staffing resources are not the primary drivers of the academic struggles.

Another interesting finding is the stark difference in performance between male and female students, with males ranking in the 48th percentile and females in the 20th percentile—a 28-point gap not seen in nearby schools. Additionally, the school has shown past strength in science and social studies, with 8th graders achieving 66.67% proficiency in science in 2023-2024, outperforming the state average. The Highland School District spends $12,793 per student, which is less than some neighbors like Boscobel Area School District ($13,093) but more than Mineral Point Unified School District ($11,162). The school’s future success will depend on stabilizing its performance, especially in math, and ensuring all student groups are effectively supported.

Students ?

12.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,104

Per pupil spending ?

44.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1030 Cardinal Dr
Highland, WI 53543

(608) 929-4525

District: Highland School District

Students who attend Highland Community Middle usually attend:

High:

Highland Community High

Feeder schools for Highland Community Middle:

Elementary:

Highland Community Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

82.8%

Hispanic:

12.1%

Two or more races:

5.2%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 91st percentile in 2015 → 28th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (43% vs 54% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 63 percentile points since 2015

!Mathematics scores 22 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg43%

Wisconsin avg54%

451^st of 628

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 28%▼ down 63 pts since 2015

From top 9% (2015) to bottom 28% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

334^th of 426Highland 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
2025	35.8	451 of 628	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.1	425 of 641	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.0	339 of 640	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.3	232 of 617	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.1	342 of 613	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	44.9	369 of 594	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.8	180 of 579	68.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	60.4	217 of 612	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.2	186 of 609	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2015	81.6	53 of 612	91.3%	★★★★★
2014	47.8	363 of 585	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	62.2	196 of 569	65.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	23.8	459 of 573	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.3	435 of 580	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	54.3	259 of 579	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	75.4	99 of 576	82.8%	★★★★☆
2021	56.9	240 of 574	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	43.7	364 of 557	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	66.0	170 of 551	69.1%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	48.6	266 of 509	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	328 of 520	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	83.6	29 of 522	94.4%	★★★★★
2021	49.3	236 of 499	52.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	298 of 577	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.2	295 of 585	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.3	341 of 591	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.8	373 of 577	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.0	350 of 572	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.3	318 of 557	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	64.1	168 of 551	69.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	46.7	233 of 407	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	39.8	256 of 412	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Male (2025)48th percentile+20 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)48th percentile+20 vs school

White (2024)43rd percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts51%-3 vs state

Social Studies47%-16 vs state

Science47%-3 vs state

Mathematics32%-22 vs state

★

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Schools Near Highland Community 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 (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2025)				Forward Exam Mathematics (2025)				Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)	Forward Exam Science (2025)	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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Highland Community Middle	Public	6-8	1030 Cardinal Dr	Highland	53543	Iowa County	Highland School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 929-4525	58	5	12.5	44.8%	48 (82.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (12.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (5.2%)	35.8	451^st of 628 public middle schools	28.2%		40.1	425^th of 641 public middle schools	33.7%	26		47.1	57.1	46.7		41.2	38.1	13.3	46.7	46.7	$17,104	$687	$16,417
River Ridge Middle	Public	5-8	11165 County Highway P	Patch Grove	53817	Grant County	River Ridge School District	No	No	No	(n/a)	(608) 994-2715	124	12	10.4	42.7%	110 (88.7%)	2 (1.6%)	7 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.0%)	77.6	106^th of 628 public middle schools	83.1%		88.6	34^th of 641 public middle schools	94.7%	72	48.0	60.7	79.0	61.5	52.0	71.4	79.0	76.9	65.4	57.7	$19,032	$736	$18,296
Riverdale Junior High	Public	7-8	235 E Elm St	Muscoda	53573	Grant County	Riverdale School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 739-3116	88	5	16.3	53.4%	80 (90.9%)	3 (3.4%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.5%)	57.8	282^nd of 628 public middle schools	55.1%		48	381^st of 641 public middle schools	40.6%	99			58.5	43.9			53.7	65.9	63.4	56.1	$15,954	$739	$15,215
Dodgeville Middle	Public	5-8	951 W Chapel St	Dodgeville	53533	Iowa County	Dodgeville School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 935-3307	283	23	12.1	32.9%	249 (88.0%)	2 (0.7%)	14 (4.9%)	4 (1.4%)	3 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.9%)	45.4	388^th of 628 public middle schools	38.2%		68.1	192^nd of 641 public middle schools	70.0%	196	56.0	45.3	43.6	57.6	54.9	49.3	42.3	49.2	61.0	52.5	$14,995	$417	$14,577
Fennimore Middle	Public	6-8	510 7th St	Fennimore	53809	Grant County	Fennimore Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 822-3245	186	13	13.9	41.9%	165 (88.7%)	1 (0.5%)	14 (7.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.6%)	71.1	168^th of 628 public middle schools	73.2%		66.2	206^th of 641 public middle schools	67.9%	38		61.5	62.0	56.7		76.9	68.0	74.6	61.2	62.7	$13,062	$273	$12,788
Mineral Point Middle	Public	6-8	705 Ross St	Mineral Point	53565	Iowa County	Mineral Point Unified School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 987-0720	170	13	12.6	27.6%	158 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.7%)	68.6	195^th of 628 public middle schools	68.9%		70.2	174^th of 641 public middle schools	72.9%	21		65.5	56.7	76.6		63.6	60.0	74.5	67.4	46.9	$16,403	$00	$16,403
Boscobel Junior High	Public	6-8	300 Brindley St	Boscobel	53805	Grant County	Boscobel Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 375-4161	158	14	11.4	50.6%	148 (93.7%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)	48.4	363^rd of 628 public middle schools	42.2%		48.7	374^th of 641 public middle schools	41.7%	11		59.3	59.5	43.4		63.0	52.4	52.8	41.5	39.6	$14,688	$356	$14,332
River Valley Middle	Public	5-8	660 W Daley St	Spring Green	53588	Sauk County	River Valley School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 588-2556	324	29	11.3	33.3%	303 (93.5%)	2 (0.6%)	11 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.2%)	72.9	143^rd of 628 public middle schools	77.2%		73.9	140^th of 641 public middle schools	78.2%	3	49.4	63.0	41.0	71.6	46.9	68.5	68.0	85.1	80.6	62.7	$17,162	$323	$16,839

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Community Middle

Is Highland Community Middle a good school?

Highland Community Middle ranks 451^st of 628 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Highland Community Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 58 students attended Highland Community Middle.

What district is Highland Community Middle in?

Highland School District

What is the racial makeup of Highland Community Middle?

Students at Highland Community Middle are 83% White, 12% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Highland Community Middle attend?

Students who attend Highland Community Middle usually go on to attend Highland Community High

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

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

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 ACT & Forward Exam scoresSep 25, 2025

2023–24 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 6, 2025

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.