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Jefferson Middle

Q: Is Jefferson Middle a good school?

Jefferson Middle ranks 254 th of 643 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

254^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 643 Wisconsin Middle Schools

Better than 60% of Wisconsin middle schools

Summary

Jefferson Middle is a public middle school in Jefferson, WI, serving 349 students in grades 6–8 as part of the Jefferson School District. It ranks 254th of 643 Wisconsin middle schools in 2025–26 (60th percentile, 3 stars), after improving from 437th of 579 (25th percentile, 1 star) in 2017–18 and peaking at 173rd of 640 (73rd percentile, 4 stars) in 2022–23. Among nearby schools, Fort Atkinson Middle and Milton Middle rank higher (77th and 78th percentile, 4 stars), while Jefferson is ahead of Lake Mills Middle, Nikolay Middle, Deerfield Middle, Whitewater Middle, Waterloo Middle, Palmyra-Eagle Middle, and Riverside Middle.

Academically, Jefferson’s clearest strengths are math and science. Math proficiency is above the state average in every grade 6–8, and 8th-grade science is above the state and most nearby schools. Social studies is also above state. English language arts is the main gap: 6th- and 8th-grade ELA are slightly below state, while 7th grade is above, and Jefferson trails Fort Atkinson Middle, Milton Middle, and Lake Mills Middle in several ELA grades. Improving ELA, especially in grades 6 and 8, would likely help the school’s overall rating.

The biggest concern is chronic absenteeism. In 2024–25, Jefferson’s rate was 25.7%, compared with 16.3% for its district and 17.3% for the state, and higher than every listed nearby school, including Fort Atkinson Middle (4.3%), Lake Mills Middle (6.5%), and Milton Middle (15.8%). The rate jumped from 11.7% in 2021–22 to 25.7% in 2022–23 and has stayed high. About 41.26% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch, higher than several higher-performing peers, while spending per student is $16,240 and the student-to-teacher ratio is a favorable 11.4. The school is relatively effective with special education students (69th percentile in 2025–26) and low-income students (as high as 70th percentile in 2024–25), though English language learner results slipped to the 48th percentile in 2024–25. Overall, Jefferson Middle is a mid-to-upper-tier school with real improvement, strong math/science, weaker ELA, and attendance as the clearest lever for progress.

349

Students ?

11.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,240

Per pupil spending ?

41.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

501 S Taft Ave
Jefferson, WI 53549-1493

(920) 675-1300

District: Jefferson School District

Students who attend Jefferson Middle usually attend:

High:

Jefferson High

Feeder schools for Jefferson Middle:

Elementary:	East Elementary
	Sullivan Elementary
	West Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.4%

Hispanic:

19.2%

Two or more races:

2.6%

See top rated Wisconsin middle schools

Compare Jefferson Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 73rd percentile in 2023 → 60th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Wisconsin median (60th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 17% Wisconsin)

!Ranking has slipped from its 73rd-percentile peak (2023) to 60th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school59%

District avg59%

Wisconsin avg56%

254^th of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Top 40%▲ up 22 pts since 2016

From bottom 38% (2016) to top 40% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

174^th of 432Jefferson 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	60.9	254 of 643	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.0	254 of 628	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.8	320 of 641	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.3	173 of 640	73.0%	★★★★☆
2022	53.8	289 of 617	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.7	281 of 613	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	51.6	316 of 594	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.3	437 of 579	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	55.9	261 of 612	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	43.8	377 of 609	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2015	47.9	382 of 612	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	57.4	277 of 585	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	59.7	229 of 569	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2012	64.2	214 of 559	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	58.9	272 of 549	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	52.9	327 of 539	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2009	55.4	293 of 521	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.1	337 of 519	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	56.5	224 of 366	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	45.0	286 of 382	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	42.2	251 of 332	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	50.7	212 of 324	34.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	92 of 178	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.5	61 of 173	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.1	57 of 170	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	28.8	133 of 158	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	53.3	36 of 138	73.9%	★★★★☆
2019	59.8	31 of 153	79.7%	★★★★☆
2018	34.1	104 of 140	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	59.3	249 of 572	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	65.1	202 of 573	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.8	294 of 580	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	66.3	162 of 579	72.0%	★★★★☆
2022	59.5	222 of 576	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.1	263 of 574	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	56.8	258 of 557	53.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.1	381 of 551	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	56.2	88 of 237	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.5	93 of 229	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	36.2	138 of 221	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.3	154 of 204	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	54.7	219 of 513	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.5	152 of 509	70.1%	★★★★☆
2024	44.5	289 of 520	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	59.0	163 of 525	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.9	192 of 522	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	57.7	166 of 499	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.2	354 of 487	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.9	361 of 489	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	61.9	216 of 575	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	55.8	269 of 577	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.6	279 of 585	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	62.7	195 of 591	67.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.3	299 of 577	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	55.1	252 of 572	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.3	317 of 557	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.6	416 of 551	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	58.9	138 of 439	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.3	171 of 414	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.4	144 of 425	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.4	186 of 439	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.0	160 of 421	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	51.8	171 of 437	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	54.9	143 of 414	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	41.5	237 of 417	43.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	52.8	187 of 391	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	53.5	189 of 399	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.2	227 of 407	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.3	118 of 412	71.4%	★★★★☆
2022	51.7	183 of 397	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.1	190 of 393	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	44.3	229 of 382	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	22.3	314 of 375	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)69th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2025)63rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)62nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)57th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2026)56th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)52nd percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)48th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies66%~ state avg

Mathematics61%+7 vs state

Science60%+8 vs state

English Language Arts54%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near Jefferson 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
Jefferson Middle	Public	6-8	501 S Taft Ave	Jefferson	53549	Jefferson County	Jefferson School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 675-1300	349	30	11.4	41.3%	263 (75.4%)	4 (1.1%)	67 (19.2%)	3 (0.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.6%)	60.9	254^th of 643 public middle schools	60.5%		61	254^th of 628 public middle schools	59.6%				52.3	56.1	53.9			63.6	61.7	57.7		66.4		59.6	$16,240	$609	$15,631
Fort Atkinson Middle	Public	6-8	310 S 4th St E	Fort Atkinson	53538	Jefferson County	Fort Atkinson School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 563-7833	467	44	10.7	34.0%	377 (80.7%)	6 (1.3%)	68 (14.6%)	5 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.1%)	73.3	150^th of 643 public middle schools	76.7%		71.2	165^th of 628 public middle schools	73.7%	15			62.3	79.5	62.0			64.1	77.6	68.3		70.4		52.8	$19,162	$429	$18,734
Lake Mills Middle	Public	5-8	318 College St	Lake Mills	53551	Jefferson County	Lake Mills Area School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 648-2358	413	34	12.2	26.9%	348 (84.3%)	3 (0.7%)	38 (9.2%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.6%)	59.3	274^th of 643 public middle schools	57.4%		70.4	173^rd of 628 public middle schools	72.5%	101		53.3	69.8	75.6	46.2		56.2	53.5	67.4	47.1		58.7		53.9	$14,660	$354	$14,306
Nikolay Middle	Public	6-8	211 South St	Cambridge	53523	Dane County	Cambridge School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 423-7335	203	15	13.7	28.1%	181 (89.2%)	2 (1.0%)	10 (4.9%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.4%)	54.8	309^th of 643 public middle schools	51.9%		46.9	371^st of 628 public middle schools	40.9%	62			42.9	45.2	56.1			58.7	41.9	69.6		73.7		60.7	$17,817	$266	$17,551
Whitewater Middle	Public	6-8	401 S Elizabeth St	Whitewater	53190	Walworth County	Whitewater Unified School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 472-8300	394	35	11.4	50.3%	202 (51.3%)	12 (3.0%)	159 (40.4%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.3%)	42	418^th of 643 public middle schools	35.0%		44.3	397^th of 628 public middle schools	36.8%	21			54.4	45.3	46.3			45.6	45.3	46.3		59.4		44.7	$16,655	$619	$16,035
Deerfield Middle	Public	7-8	300 Simonson Blvd	Deerfield	53531	Dane County	Deerfield Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 764-5431	114	10	11.0	24.6%	91 (79.8%)	4 (3.5%)	10 (8.8%)	3 (2.6%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.4%)	52.3	340^th of 643 public middle schools	47.1%		67.2	208^th of 628 public middle schools	66.9%	132				68.6	45.0				72.6	50.0		58.3		41.7	$13,209	$249	$12,960
Riverside Middle	Public	6-8	131 Hall St	Watertown	53094	Jefferson County	Watertown Unified School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 262-1480	616	49	12.5	44.5%	419 (68.0%)	12 (1.9%)	144 (23.4%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	34 (5.5%)	34.2	474^th of 643 public middle schools	26.3%		39.3	434^th of 628 public middle schools	30.9%	40			46.4	39.9	42.2			45.2	45.2	45.5		51.5		39.2	$17,649	$900	$16,749
Palmyra-Eagle Middle	Public	6-8	123 Burr Oak St	Palmyra	53156	Jefferson County	Palmyra-Eagle Area School District	No	No	No	(n/a)	(262) 495-7101	96	12	7.8	33.3%	80 (83.3%)	3 (3.1%)	9 (9.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.2%)	36.1	459^th of 643 public middle schools	28.6%		60.7	258^th of 628 public middle schools	58.9%	201			55.6	35.9	37.0			48.2	35.9	33.3		74.1		44.4	$20,024	$590	$19,434
Waterloo Middle	Public	5-8	865 N Monroe St	Waterloo	53594	Jefferson County	Waterloo School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 478-2696	118	8	14.7	44.1%	80 (67.8%)	2 (1.7%)	32 (27.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.4%)	38.1	445^th of 643 public middle schools	30.8%		41.8	424^th of 628 public middle schools	32.5%	21		46.3	37.5	41.5	58.3		39.0	39.3	32.1	43.8		60.4		56.3	$16,998	$468	$16,530
Northside Intermediate	Public	4-6	159 Northside Dr	Milton	53563	Rock County	Milton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 868-9280	794	47	17.0	23.6%	685 (86.3%)	12 (1.5%)	58 (7.3%)	14 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (3.0%)								(n/a)	62.7	69.0	63.5			62.7	74.0	70.0			74.7		66.7		$11,311	$168	$11,143

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson Middle

What district is Jefferson Middle in?

Jefferson School District

What high school do graduates of Jefferson Middle attend?

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

How many students attend Jefferson Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 349 students attended Jefferson Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson Middle?

Students at Jefferson Middle are 75% White, 19% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

Is Jefferson Middle a good school?

Jefferson Middle ranks 254^th of 643 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Jefferson 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.