1. Home
  2. Wisconsin
  3. Poplar
  4. Maple School District
  5. Northwestern Middle
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Northwestern Middle

Public Grades 6-8
147th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 628 Wisconsin Middle Schools
Better than 77% of Wisconsin middle schools
Summary

Northwestern Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in the Maple School District in Poplar, WI. With 282 students, the school is ranked 147 out of 628 Wisconsin middle schools and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Northwestern Middle consistently outperforms the state average on the Forward Exam across all grade levels and subject areas, with over 60% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and over 70% proficient or better in Mathematics. The school also performs particularly well for certain student subgroups, ranking in the top 25% of Wisconsin middle schools for female students, male students, and students with special needs, as well as the top 18% for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. However, the school has seen an increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 8.0% to 17.7% in the past year.

Compared to the nearby Superior Middle school, which is located 18.08 miles away in the Superior School District, Northwestern Middle consistently outperforms its counterpart across academic metrics. Superior Middle is ranked significantly lower (439 out of 628) compared to Northwestern Middle (147 out of 628) in the 2024-2025 school year. Northwestern Middle's strong performance may be attributed to its higher per-student spending, which ranges from $10,469 to $12,166, above the state average.

289
Students ?
17.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
$12,166
Per pupil spending ?
32.9%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 10465 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: Improving — 66th percentile in 2015 → 77th in 2025
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (66% vs 54% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 23% of Wisconsin middle schools
✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 percentile points since 2015
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school66%
District avg66%
Wisconsin avg54%
147th of 628
Wisconsin public middle schools ?
Top 23%▲ up 11 pts since 2015
From top 34% (2015) to top 23% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
141st of 426Maple 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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)82nd percentile+5 vs school
Special Education (2025)82nd percentile+5 vs school
Female (2025)76th percentile~ school
Male (2025)74th percentile-3 vs school
White (2025)58th percentile-18 vs school
By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?
Mathematics73%+19 vs state
Social Studies70%+8 vs state
Science61%+11 vs state
English Language Arts60%+6 vs state

★
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Northwestern Middle and help other families decide.
Rate Northwestern Middle
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.


Schools Near Northwestern Middle

Sort
Ranking:
Map legend
E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private





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 147th of 628 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.


Rate Northwestern Middle!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

WIWisconsin Middle School Rankings

WIWisconsin District Rankings

Schools in Poplar, WI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Northwestern Middle!


Latest Wisconsin data All new data »
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
2023–24 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 8, 2024


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.




Diagnostics