Winter Middle

Winter Middle is a small public middle school in Winter, WI, serving grades 6–8 with 41 students as part of the Winter School District. It is the only school within 20 miles, and its district is ranked 390th of 432 statewide — about the 10th percentile — with a 0-star rating.

The school has been losing ground over the long term. In 2016–17 it ranked 174th of 612 (72nd percentile, 4 stars); by 2025–26 it ranked 509th of 643 (21st percentile, 1 star), including a one-year slide from the 41st to the 21st percentile. In 2025–26, every reported subject and grade tested below the state average. The biggest gaps were 8th-grade math (21.43% proficient vs. 53.67% statewide), 8th-grade social studies (38.46% vs. 64.63%), and 8th-grade ELA (35.71% vs. 54.38%). Math is the clearest weakness across all three grades. Science and social studies have often been relative strengths — in 2024–25 the school beat the state in 8th-grade math, science, and social studies — but social studies fell sharply the following year.

Attendance is the standout bright spot: chronic absenteeism was just 2.8% in 2024–25, far below the district's 10.8% and the state's 17.3%, though it follows higher rates in earlier years, so families should watch whether it holds. The dropout rate rose to 3.5% in 2024–25 (above the district's 1.0% and the state's 1.1%) after several years at 0.0%. Resources are unusually strong for a school this size — $22,746 per student and a 7.1:1 student-teacher ratio — and 63.41% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Subgroup data flags equity concerns, particularly very low statewide ranks for special education students (1st percentile) and low-income students (12th percentile in 2020–21, up to 32nd in 2018–19). With only 41 students, year-to-year swings are normal, so multi-year trends are more telling than any single year.