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Black Hawk Middle

Public Grades 6-8

562^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 643 Wisconsin Middle Schools

Better than 13% of Wisconsin middle schools

Summary

Black Hawk Middle is a grades 6–8 school in Madison, WI, part of the Madison Metropolitan School District, serving about 300 students in a high-poverty community—70.33% of students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25, the highest rate among nearby comparison schools. In 2025–26 it ranked 562nd of 643 middle schools statewide (13th percentile, 1 star), and this is not a one-year dip: it has generally sat in the 9th–15th percentile for a decade. Its dropout rate is 0.0%.

On the 2025–26 Forward Exam, proficiency was low across nearly every subject and grade, averaging roughly 28.6% versus about 50.1% for the district and 55.5% for the state. Examples include 7th-grade ELA at 20.78% (district 52.41%, state 55.33%), 8th-grade science at 24.11% (district 47.08%, state 51.86%), and 8th-grade social studies at 30.36% (district 58.53%, state 64.63%). Among nearby schools, Black Hawk's overall proficiency is the lowest: O'Keeffe Middle is around 60%, Sennett Middle around 40%, Sherman Middle around 38.1%, and Whitehorse Middle around 36.2%. Chronic absenteeism was 41.9% in 2024–25, versus 29.6% district-wide and 17.3% statewide—highest among nearby same-district middle schools.

Notably, Black Hawk spends the most per student ($22,919) and has the smallest student-teacher ratio (8.7) among nearby schools, yet posts the lowest proficiency, suggesting staffing and spending alone have not yet moved results. Bright spots include 6th-grade math rising from 26.03% to 33.90%, 8th-grade math from 20.65% to 35.71%, and English learner effectiveness reaching the 56th percentile with 3 stars. The most urgent needs are attendance, 7th-grade ELA (down from 39.25% to 20.78%), 8th-grade science and social studies, and effectiveness for low-income students (4th percentile, 0 stars) and special education students (17th percentile, 1 star).

300

Students ?

8.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,919

Per pupil spending ?

70.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

1402 Wyoming Way
Madison, WI 53704-1497

(608) 204-4360

District: Madison Metropolitan School District

Students who attend Black Hawk Middle usually attend:

High:

East High

Feeder schools for Black Hawk Middle:

Elementary:	Gompers Elementary
	Lindbergh Elementary
	Mendota Elementary

Racial breakdown:

African American:

31.0%

Hispanic:

24.3%

White:

21.7%

See top rated Wisconsin middle schools

Compare Black Hawk Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 13th percentile in 2016 → 13th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (29% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (42% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school29%

District avg50%

Wisconsin avg56%

562^nd of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 13%▬ steady since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th of 12Middle Schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District

321^st of 432Madison Metropolitan 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	14.1	562 of 643	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.6	531 of 628	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.6	582 of 641	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	558 of 640	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.1	542 of 617	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.2	525 of 613	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.2	538 of 594	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	19.9	500 of 579	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.1	530 of 612	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	15.3	530 of 609	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.5	524 of 612	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	26.5	491 of 585	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.2	506 of 569	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.2	503 of 559	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	42.3	433 of 549	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	30.8	455 of 539	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	30.8	439 of 521	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	21.6	459 of 519	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	31.4	298 of 366	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	40.9	299 of 382	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	33.4	272 of 332	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	17.2	289 of 324	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	28.3	94 of 125	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.4	86 of 117	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	107 of 118	9.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.6	116 of 130	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	89 of 125	28.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.5	59 of 134	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	31.3	85 of 127	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.1	43 of 123	65.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	14.8	87 of 97	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.3	77 of 88	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	81 of 87	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	83 of 90	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.2	76 of 95	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.3	82 of 90	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	87 of 91	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.7	71 of 90	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	74 of 169	56.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.9	90 of 178	49.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	36.4	113 of 173	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.8	35 of 170	79.4%	★★★★☆
2022	60.0	33 of 158	79.1%	★★★★☆
2019	40.5	92 of 153	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.9	58 of 140	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	20.2	479 of 572	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	490 of 573	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	534 of 580	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.1	530 of 579	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.7	513 of 576	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.1	492 of 574	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.3	508 of 557	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	466 of 551	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	16.3	217 of 236	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	20.9	209 of 237	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	234 of 239	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.4	201 of 229	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.0	196 of 221	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	10.9	224 of 225	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.9	166 of 209	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	15.0	193 of 204	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	8.1	491 of 513	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	10.5	479 of 509	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.2	506 of 520	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	487 of 525	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.6	494 of 522	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.8	471 of 499	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	9.8	467 of 487	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.4	457 of 489	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	15.5	497 of 575	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	16.4	499 of 577	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.5	520 of 585	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.6	460 of 591	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	477 of 577	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	463 of 572	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.2	492 of 557	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	469 of 551	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	2.8	134 of 135	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	15.1	116 of 126	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.6	129 of 131	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	122 of 132	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.1	115 of 126	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	23.9	107 of 129	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.5	101 of 101	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	363 of 439	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.8	327 of 414	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	357 of 425	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.3	295 of 439	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.5	258 of 421	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.1	291 of 437	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	19.0	376 of 414	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	24.8	345 of 417	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	46.8	209 of 391	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	68.7	102 of 399	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	28.2	315 of 407	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.4	246 of 412	40.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	41.7	241 of 397	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.8	204 of 393	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.1	329 of 382	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	46.9	202 of 375	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2026)56th percentile+44 vs school

White (2026)47th percentile+34 vs school

African American (2026)25th percentile+12 vs school

Special Education (2026)17th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2026)16th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2026)14th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)10th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)8th percentile-5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)4th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)1st percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics33%-22 vs state

Social Studies30%-34 vs state

English Language Arts27%-28 vs state

Science24%-28 vs state

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Thursday, November 4, 2021

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Schools Near Black Hawk 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
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
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
O'Keeffe Middle	Public	6-8	510 S Thornton Ave	Madison	53703	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-6820	434	37	11.7	42.9%	233 (53.7%)	81 (18.7%)	50 (11.5%)	13 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (12.0%)	63.3	227^th of 643 public middle schools	64.7%		67.6	205^th of 628 public middle schools	67.4%	22			53.3	61.5	57.3			51.7	68.4	55.3		72.3		60.0	$19,289	$614	$18,675
Innovative and Alternative Middle	Public	6-8	1045 E Dayton St	Madison	53703	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-4220	0	15	.0	—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
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
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
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
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
Sennett Middle	Public	6-8	502 Pflaum Rd	Madison	53716	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-1920	570	47	12.2	52.6%	161 (28.2%)	78 (13.7%)	224 (39.3%)	33 (5.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (12.6%)	28.1	503^rd of 643 public middle schools	21.8%		23	508^th of 628 public middle schools	19.1%	5			46.5	44.9	37.3			42.5	45.9	31.1		42.9		28.7	$22,512	$1,222	$21,290
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Black Hawk Middle

What district is Black Hawk Middle in?

Madison Metropolitan School District

How many students attend Black Hawk Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 300 students attended Black Hawk Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Black Hawk Middle?

Students at Black Hawk Middle are 31% African American, 24% Hispanic, 22% White, 12% Asian, 10% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Black Hawk Middle attend?

Students who attend Black Hawk Middle usually go on to attend East High

Is Black Hawk Middle a good school?

Black Hawk Middle ranks in the bottom 12.6% of Wisconsin middle schools.

Rate Black Hawk 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.