Summary:
ZIP code 53713 is served by two middle schools — James Wright Middle in Madison and One City Preparatory Academy in Monona — both covering grades 6–8, with 245 and 99 students respectively. James Wright Middle belongs to Madison Metropolitan School District, while One City Preparatory Academy is part of One City Schools Inc. The two schools serve similar populations: free/reduced lunch is 68.16% at James Wright and 72.73% at One City, and both have low student-teacher ratios (9.6 and 9.1). Despite those similarities, their outcomes differ sharply.
James Wright Middle is the stronger school on nearly every available metric. It outperformed One City Preparatory Academy in all 16 listed assessment comparisons across 2025–2026 and 2024–2025, with margins ranging from +1.52 points (6th grade ELA) to +27.02 points (7th grade math). It also has lower chronic absenteeism (24.2% vs. 48.4%), a lower dropout rate (0.0% vs. 1.7%), and a higher state rank percentile (19th vs. 10th). Its relative strengths are 8th grade ELA (50%) and 8th grade social studies (51.39%), and its simple overall proficiency average rose from 33.6% to 38.0% year over year, though 8th grade social studies slipped from 55.84% to 51.39%. Even so, it remains below state averages in most subjects.
One City Preparatory Academy faces more severe challenges. It ranks 424 of 432 in its district (2nd percentile, 0 stars) and 581 of 643 statewide (10th percentile, 0 stars). Chronic absenteeism of 48.4% is nearly three times the state rate of 17.3%, and math proficiency is very low at 6.25% in 6th grade, 3.57% in 7th grade, and 10% in 8th grade. Its overall average fell from 24.9% to 21.5%. Bright spots include 6th grade ELA, which improved from 20.59% to 37.5%, and 8th grade social studies at 40%. Both schools rank in the bottom quartile of Wisconsin middle schools, so families may want to weigh these results alongside school visits.
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