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Sherman Middle

Public Grades 6-8

525^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 643 Wisconsin Middle Schools

Better than 18% of Wisconsin middle schools

Summary

Sherman Middle is a grades 6–8 school in Madison, Wisconsin, serving about 400 students as part of the Madison Metropolitan School District. For 2025–2026 it ranks 525 of 643 Wisconsin middle schools — 18th percentile, 1 star — which is below its district's own standing of 321 of 432 (26th percentile, 1 star). Its record is remarkably consistent: it has held 1 star every year from 2015–2016 through 2025–2026, with percentiles ranging only from 11 to 26. The current 18th percentile reflects a long-term pattern rather than a sudden decline or recovery.

Achievement is below district and state in every reported subject. On the 2025–2026 Forward Exam, proficiency runs from 30.43% in Math 8 — roughly 23 points below the state — to 45.65% in Social Studies 8, with ELA 6–8 between 37% and 40%. Locally, Sherman sits in the bottom cluster: roughly tied with Whitehorse Middle, ahead of Black Hawk Middle and One City Preparatory Academy, and behind Badger Rock Middle, James Wright Middle, and Sennett Middle. It trails same-district O'Keeffe Middle, Spring Harbor Middle, and Hamilton Middle by wide margins.

The widest gap inside the school is in subgroup effectiveness. Students from low-income families rank at the 8th percentile (0 stars) and Special Education students at the 19th, while English Language Learner students rank at the 46th — above the school's overall 18th percentile. Chronic absenteeism has improved from 38.8% in 2021–2022 to 25.5% in 2024–2025, better than the district's 29.6% but well above the state's 17.3%; dropout is 0.3%. Sherman spends $19,194 per student with an 11:1 student-teacher ratio — more than Hamilton Middle, which ranks 97th percentile — so resources and class size alone do not explain the outcomes. About 60% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

400

Students ?

11.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,194

Per pupil spending ?

60%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1610 Ruskin St
Madison, WI 53704-3469

(608) 204-2100

District: Madison Metropolitan School District

Students who attend Sherman Middle usually attend:

High:

East High

Feeder schools for Sherman Middle:

Elementary:	Emerson Elementary
	Sandburg Elementary

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

30.5%

White:

28.8%

African American:

24.0%

See top rated Wisconsin middle schools

Compare Sherman Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 14th percentile in 2016 → 18th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (38% vs 56% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg50%

Wisconsin avg56%

525^th of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 14% (2016) to bottom 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^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	24.2	525 of 643	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.2	525 of 628	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.2	546 of 641	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	474 of 640	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	464 of 617	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.7	497 of 613	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.4	515 of 594	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	515 of 579	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	20.3	517 of 612	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.8	522 of 609	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	16.7	534 of 612	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	19.0	504 of 585	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.9	504 of 569	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.3	481 of 559	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	28.8	470 of 549	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.0	463 of 539	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	16.0	471 of 521	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	13.9	468 of 519	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	28.2	303 of 366	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.3	322 of 382	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	26.3	287 of 332	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	25.5	281 of 324	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	35.6	81 of 125	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.4	93 of 117	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.9	100 of 118	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.8	101 of 130	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.3	58 of 125	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	45.5	63 of 134	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	36.1	72 of 127	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.8	96 of 123	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	16.2	86 of 97	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	5.4	87 of 88	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	30.2	61 of 90	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.4	76 of 91	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	44.8	92 of 169	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.7	121 of 178	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.3	118 of 173	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.6	152 of 170	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	54.5	50 of 158	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	38.6	99 of 153	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.6	114 of 140	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	23.7	461 of 572	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.2	467 of 573	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.6	481 of 580	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.5	417 of 579	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.9	437 of 576	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.6	476 of 574	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.3	491 of 557	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	473 of 551	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	23.4	200 of 236	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.0	207 of 237	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	217 of 239	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	26.4	183 of 229	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	179 of 221	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.2	163 of 225	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.5	205 of 209	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.3	191 of 204	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	13.6	474 of 513	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	7.2	492 of 509	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	495 of 520	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.2	470 of 525	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	446 of 522	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	444 of 499	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	11.2	463 of 487	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.8	464 of 489	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	26.9	461 of 575	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.4	497 of 577	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	497 of 585	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.9	471 of 591	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.5	411 of 577	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.8	429 of 572	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.5	462 of 557	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.7	487 of 551	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	38.8	93 of 135	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	14.4	119 of 126	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	110 of 131	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.3	80 of 132	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.2	60 of 126	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	23.4	109 of 129	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.1	93 of 101	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	88 of 96	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	25.1	354 of 439	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	42.3	226 of 414	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.4	301 of 425	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	45.8	211 of 439	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	37.7	262 of 421	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.3	239 of 437	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.0	188 of 414	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.1	195 of 417	53.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	74.8	76 of 391	80.6%	★★★★☆
2025	59.0	158 of 399	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.9	124 of 407	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.9	122 of 412	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	59.4	140 of 397	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.4	208 of 393	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.9	149 of 382	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.4	102 of 375	72.8%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2026)81st percentile+62 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)46th percentile+27 vs school

African American (2026)35th percentile+17 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)31st percentile+13 vs school

Male (2026)20th percentile~ school

Female (2026)19th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)19th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)15th percentile-3 vs school

Asian (2026)11th percentile-7 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)8th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies46%-19 vs state

English Language Arts39%-16 vs state

Mathematics35%-19 vs state

Science35%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Sherman 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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th 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
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
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
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
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
One City Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	1707 W Broadway	Monona	53713	Dane County	One City Schools Inc	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(608) 531-2128	99	11	9.1	72.7%	2 (2.0%)	77 (77.8%)	8 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (12.1%)	9.3	581^st of 643 public middle schools	9.6%		10.4	562^nd of 628 public middle schools	10.5%	19	37.5	17.9	30.0	6.3	3.6	10.0	40.0	26.7
James Wright Middle	Public, Magnet	6-8	1717 Fish Hatchery Rd	Madison	53713	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(608) 204-1340	245	25	9.6	68.2%	29 (11.8%)	71 (29.0%)	121 (49.4%)	11 (4.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.9%)	24.5	522^nd of 643 public middle schools	18.8%		21.4	517^th of 628 public middle schools	17.7%	5	39.0	34.1	50.0	30.5	30.6	31.9	51.4	36.1	$22,591	$1,888	$20,702
Badger Rock Middle	Public, Charter	6-8	509 E Badger Rd	Madison	53703	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(608) 442-1335	92	10	9.4	54.3%	26 (28.3%)	20 (21.7%)	33 (35.9%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.7%)	26	510^th of 643 public middle schools	20.7%		26.3	489^th of 628 public middle schools	22.1%	21	36.0	41.7	44.1	25.0	20.8	29.4	55.9	44.1	$25,574	$966	$24,608
Hamilton Middle	Public	6-8	4801 Waukesha St	Madison	53705	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-4620	790	55	14.4	19.4%	502 (63.5%)	59 (7.5%)	71 (9.0%)	74 (9.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	72 (9.1%)	90.5	21^st of 643 public middle schools	96.7%		89.1	33^rd of 628 public middle schools	94.7%	12	79.2	79.1	80.4	78.0	78.3	76.9	89.5	83.2	$16,988	$654	$16,333

Frequently Asked Questions about Sherman Middle

What high school do graduates of Sherman Middle attend?

Students who attend Sherman Middle usually go on to attend East High

How many students attend Sherman Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 400 students attended Sherman Middle.

Is Sherman Middle a good school?

Sherman Middle ranks in the bottom 18.4% of Wisconsin middle schools.

What district is Sherman Middle in?

Madison Metropolitan School District

What is the racial makeup of Sherman Middle?

Students at Sherman Middle are 31% Hispanic, 29% White, 24% African American, 10% Two or more races, 6% Asian.

Rate Sherman Middle!

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresNewOct 1, 2026

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

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

2024–25 ACT & Forward Exam scoresSep 25, 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.