Summary
Central Wisconsin STEM Academy is a small public middle school in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, serving 32 students in grades 6–8 as part of the Nekoosa School District. In 2025–2026 it ranked 202nd of 643 Wisconsin middle schools (69th percentile, 3 stars), well above its district's 252nd of 432 (42nd percentile, 2 stars) and its strongest showing since 2018–2019.
The academy is by far the smallest school in its local comparison group yet outranks all of them: Alexander Middle (489th of 643, 326 students), Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle (359th, 943 students), and John Edwards Middle (434th, 89 students). Proficiency is strongest in 6th-grade math (90%), 6th-grade ELA (80%), 8th-grade ELA and 8th-grade social studies (71.43% each), and 8th-grade science (57.14%); 8th-grade math (42.86%) and 7th-grade ELA (44.44%) trail some nearby schools. It posts these results while spending less per student ($9,692 versus $14,504–$17,002 nearby) and with a much higher student–teacher ratio (24.6 versus 8.2–14.2). Chronic absenteeism of 16.1% is below the district's 18.1% and the state's 17.3%, though John Edwards Middle reported 4.4%.
Families should weigh some caveats. With only 32 students, one student can shift a grade-level percentage by several points, so year-to-year swings are expected, and per-student spending has ranged widely ($4,570 to $14,497 in recent years). The most important equity signal is a large gap in subgroup effectiveness rankings: male students place 25th of 575 (96th percentile), while female students place 481st of 572 (16th percentile), far below the school's overall standing. The academy also shares a campus address with Alexander Middle, suggesting it operates as a distinct program or school-within-a-school, which may affect how its results compare.
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