Summary
Prairie River Middle is a grades 5–8 school in Merrill, Wisconsin, serving 507 students in the Merrill Area School District. In 2025–2026, the school ranks 492 of 643 statewide, at the 23rd percentile with 1 star, while its district ranks 213 of 432, at the 51st percentile with 3 stars. Nearby middle schools—Marathon Venture Academy, John Muir Middle, and Horace Mann Middle—are all much higher, between the 57th and 61st percentiles with 3 stars. Prairie River has fallen from the 65th percentile in 2021–2022 to the 23rd percentile in 2025–2026, with three consecutive 1-star years.
Math is the clearest academic concern. In 2025–2026, Prairie River’s 6th–8th grade math average is about 36% proficient, compared with roughly 59% at nearby schools and state results in the mid-50s. Eighth-grade math dropped from 51.26% in 2024–2025 to 36.89% in 2025–2026. ELA also declines by grade: 54.17% in 5th, 44.83% in 6th, 43.44% in 7th, and 36.89% in 8th. Chronic absenteeism is 20.3% in 2024–2025, higher than the district’s 14.6%, the state’s 17.3%, and every nearby school’s 12.2%–13.8%. Prairie River spends $16,943 per student—more than the nearby schools—and has a 13.3 student-teacher ratio, yet its outcomes are lower. The Wausau School District schools serve similar shares of low-income students and still post much stronger proficiency, so spending and student poverty alone do not explain the gap.
Subgroup results suggest broad underperformance rather than one isolated group, though special education students rank somewhat better at the 43rd percentile. The brightest spots are 5th-grade ELA, which is above the state at 54.17%, and 5th-grade math, which is above the district at 39.17% but still below the state. Eighth-grade science is closer to the state—47.93% versus 51.86%—and social studies has been stable in the low-to-mid 50s. The most urgent priorities are math proficiency, upper-grade ELA, and chronic absenteeism, since attendance strongly affects opportunity to learn. Families comparing schools should note that similar nearby schools achieve much higher results, which suggests school-level instructional effectiveness and supports are likely central to the difference.
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