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Northwestern Middle

Public Grades 6-8
220th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 643 Wisconsin Middle Schools
Better than 66% of Wisconsin middle schools
Summary

Northwestern Middle is a 6–8 school in Poplar, WI, a small community in northwestern Wisconsin near Superior, serving 289 students in the Maple School District. It ranked 220 of 643 Wisconsin middle schools in 2025–2026, placing it in the 66th percentile with 3 stars—above the state median, though below the school's own recent peak.

Math is the school's clearest strength. In 2025–2026, math proficiency was above the state in every grade: 73.12% in 6th, 67.50% in 7th, and 60.40% in 8th, compared with statewide rates of 53.60%, 55.67%, and 53.67%. The gap versus Superior Middle, the nearest comparison school about 18 miles away, is large: +33.86 points in 6th grade, +24.59 in 7th, and +22.64 in 8th. Reading (ELA) was strong in 6th and 7th grades but slipped in 8th, falling to 47.52%, below both the state and Superior Middle. Eighth-grade science and social studies also declined from a strong 2024–2025 and landed near state and Superior levels in 2025–2026. Those 8th-grade declines help explain the overall rank slip from 147 of 628 (77th percentile, 4 stars) in 2024–2025 to 220 of 643 (66th percentile, 3 stars) in 2025–2026. Northwestern Middle has earned 4 stars in most years since 2015–2016.

Attendance is a standout: chronic absenteeism was 6.9% in 2024–2025, well below the district's 12.6% and the state's 17.3%, and lower than Superior Middle's 11.7%. Northwestern also spends less—$12,406 per student versus $15,857 at Superior—with a higher student-teacher ratio of 17.6 versus 13.4, yet ranks higher overall. Students from low-income families and students in special education have generally performed at or above the school's overall level. The main things to watch are whether the 8th-grade dip is a one-year fluctuation and how the school supports that grade level going forward.

289
Students ?
17.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
$12,406
Per pupil spending ?
32.9%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
 10523 E US Highway 2
       Poplar, WI  54864

(715) 364-2218

District: Maple School District


Students who attend Northwestern Middle usually attend:

High:    Northwestern High

Feeder schools for Northwestern Middle:

Elementary:    Iron River Elementary
    Northwestern Elementary
Racial breakdown:

White:
91.0%
Hispanic:
3.1%
Two or more races:
3.1%
more
 See top rated Wisconsin middle schools

 Compare Northwestern Middle to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 82nd percentile in 2016 → 66th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (61% vs 56% meeting standards)
✓Above the Wisconsin median (66th percentile)
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school61%
District avg61%
Wisconsin avg56%
220th of 643
Wisconsin public middle schools ?
Top 34%▼ down 16 pts since 2016
From top 18% (2016) to top 34% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
179th of 432Maple 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202663.9220 of 64365.8%★★★☆☆
202572.8147 of 62876.6%★★★★☆
202466.2205 of 64168.0%★★★☆☆
202369.6162 of 64074.7%★★★★☆
202265.8178 of 61771.2%★★★★☆
202165.1185 of 61369.8%★★★★☆
201975.8105 of 59482.3%★★★★☆
201878.977 of 57986.7%★★★★☆
201770.2139 of 61277.3%★★★★☆
201674.1108 of 60982.3%★★★★☆
201563.4208 of 61266.0%★★★☆☆
201457.4278 of 58552.5%★★★☆☆
201353.4313 of 56945.0%★★☆☆☆
201256.4318 of 55943.1%★★☆☆☆
201165.4183 of 54966.7%★★★☆☆
201051.2343 of 53936.4%★★☆☆☆
200953.9309 of 52140.7%★★☆☆☆
200848.8359 of 51930.8%★★☆☆☆
200761.7180 of 36650.8%★★★☆☆
200668.1128 of 38266.5%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202664.4203 of 57264.5%★★★☆☆
202572.3140 of 57375.6%★★★★☆
202466.9187 of 58067.8%★★★☆☆
202372.4127 of 57978.1%★★★★☆
202258.7227 of 57660.6%★★★☆☆
202162.9184 of 57467.9%★★★☆☆
201982.148 of 55791.4%★★★★★
201871.8117 of 55178.8%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202657.4191 of 51362.8%★★★☆☆
202572.392 of 50981.9%★★★★☆
202463.4154 of 52070.4%★★★★☆
202355.3200 of 52561.9%★★★☆☆
202243.4302 of 52242.1%★★☆☆☆
202136.7348 of 49930.3%★★☆☆☆
201988.514 of 48797.1%★★★★★
201881.025 of 48994.9%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202662.5206 of 57564.2%★★★☆☆
202571.7152 of 57773.7%★★★★☆
202465.3199 of 58566.0%★★★☆☆
202367.3164 of 59172.3%★★★★☆
202272.5113 of 57780.4%★★★★☆
202167.8158 of 57272.4%★★★★☆
201967.9152 of 55772.7%★★★★☆
201881.457 of 55189.7%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202653.8170 of 43961.3%★★★☆☆
202572.075 of 41481.9%★★★★☆
202439.8247 of 42541.9%★★☆☆☆
202368.075 of 43982.9%★★★★☆
202256.3142 of 42166.3%★★★☆☆
202144.7228 of 43747.8%★★☆☆☆
201971.059 of 41485.7%★★★★☆
201880.433 of 41792.1%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202646.9208 of 39146.8%★★☆☆☆
202557.6167 of 39958.1%★★★☆☆
202447.2228 of 40744.0%★★☆☆☆
202359.2150 of 41263.6%★★★☆☆
202254.6163 of 39758.9%★★★☆☆
202150.7186 of 39352.7%★★★☆☆
201963.8118 of 38269.1%★★★☆☆
201869.188 of 37576.5%★★★★☆
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)
Female (2026)65th percentile~ school
Male (2026)64th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)63rd percentile-3 vs school
Special Education (2026)61st percentile-5 vs school
White (2026)47th percentile-19 vs school
By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?
Mathematics67%+12 vs state
Social Studies64%~ state avg
English Language Arts60%+5 vs state
Science49%-3 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Northwestern Middle

Students at Northwestern Middle are 91% White, 3% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% American Indian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 289 students attended Northwestern Middle.

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

Northwestern Middle ranks 220th of 643 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Rate Northwestern Middle!



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WIWisconsin Middle School Rankings

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Schools in Poplar, WI

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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.

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