Summary
Northwestern Elementary is a PK–5 school serving 515 students in Poplar, a small community in northern Wisconsin, and it is the largest elementary school among its nearby comparison group. It belongs to the Maple School District, which ranks 179th of 432 districts statewide (59th percentile, 3 stars). The school's own rank history shows a clear recovery: after two years at 2 stars and 44th–46th percentile in 2021–22 and 2022–23, it climbed to 50th and then 63rd percentile, and now sits at 55th percentile with 3 stars in 2025–26 — still well above its earlier lows.
English language arts is the school's clear strength. Its grades 3–5 ELA average of 62.6% is about 9 points above Wisconsin's 53.2%, with grade 3 and grade 5 ELA each more than 11 points above the state. Math is more mixed at 51.1%, roughly 2 points below the state average, and grade 4 science (51.4%) and social studies (65.3%) are close to state averages. Notably, math, science, and social studies have all slipped over three years — math from about 57.3% to 51.1%, and grade 4 science from 60.9% to 51.4% — which pulled the school's rank down from 63rd to 55th percentile. Northwestern's ELA average is above Iron River Elementary, Northern Lights Elementary, Eagles' Wings Public Montessori Charter, and Bryant Elementary, while Cooper Elementary, Bryant, Four Corners Elementary, and Iron River score higher in math.
Northwestern spends less per student than any nearby school — $12,017, versus $13,659 to $19,125 elsewhere — and has the largest classes at 17:1, compared with 9.3 to 16.0 nearby, yet still earns 3 stars. Chronic absenteeism was 14.3% in 2024–25, better than Wisconsin's 17.3% but above the district's 12.6%, and up from 11.6% two years earlier. About 31.84% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, down from 38.71% in 2022–23. Subgroup results are uneven: female students generally rank above male students, while special education and low-income rankings dropped in 2025–26 after stronger prior years. Compared with Iron River Elementary, its much smaller same-district peer of 95 students, Northwestern's larger enrollment likely produces steadier year-to-year results.
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