Summary:
ZIP code 53573, centered on Muscoda in southwestern Wisconsin, is served by a single middle school: Riverdale Junior High, part of the Riverdale School District. It enrolls 88 students in grades 7 and 8, so families here have one local public middle school option rather than several to compare.
Academically, results are mixed rather than uniformly strong or weak. The school ranked 381 of 641 (41st percentile, 2 stars) in 2023–2024, rose to 282 of 628 (55th percentile, 3 stars) in 2024–2025, and landed at 328 of 643 (49th percentile, 2 stars) in 2025–2026 — a middle-of-the-pack profile with normal year-to-year variation. The district ranks 214 of 432 (50th percentile, 3 stars). Consistent strengths include 7th-grade ELA and 8th-grade science, both above the state in 2024–2025 and 2025–2026; 8th-grade science held at 56.10% both years. The clearest weakness is 8th-grade ELA, which was 43.90% versus the state's 53.97% in 2024–2025 and 51.22% versus 54.38% in 2025–2026. Mathematics and social studies swing more sharply — 8th-grade math fell from 65.85% (above the state's 53.06%) to 51.22% (below the state's 53.67%), and social studies moved from slightly above the state to 6.09 points below it.
Beyond test scores, the standout positive is chronic absenteeism: 15.0% in 2024–2025, compared with 21.3% for the district and 17.3% for the state. The dropout rate was 0.0%. About 53.41% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, per-student spending is $15,954, and the student-teacher ratio is 16.3. Because enrollment is small, one student can shift school-wide percentages by roughly 1.14 points, so single-year swings deserve less weight than multi-year patterns. In 2025–2026 the school matched its district in 7th-grade ELA and math and exceeded it in all four reported 8th-grade subjects.
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