Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 54153

ZIP code 54153 has one middle school, Oconto Middle, serving grades 5–8 with 270 students in Oconto, Wisconsin, as part of Oconto Unified School District. Because it is the only middle school in the ZIP code, there are no other local middle schools to compare it with. The school has a free/reduced lunch rate of 52.22%, per-student spending of $14,235, and a student-teacher ratio of 13.8, giving context for a school where about half the students are economically disadvantaged.

Academically, the picture is mixed. Grade 8 is the strongest area: English language arts is 54.39% proficient versus 54.38% statewide, and math is 56.14% versus 53.67% statewide, with both improving from the prior year. Grade 7 math also remains above state at 64.06% versus 55.67%, though it declined from 70.69%. Grade 5 is the clearest weak spot: ELA is 34.69% versus 53.63% statewide, and math is 30.61% versus 51.81% statewide, with both declining while state averages rose. Grade 6 trails the state by roughly 14 points in both ELA and math. Grade 8 science and social studies improved but remain below state averages. Across the 10 reported tests, the simple average is about 47.82% proficient versus 54.95% statewide, so the overall gap widened slightly. The school ranks 373 of 643, at the 42nd percentile with 2 stars, up from the 36th percentile the prior year.

Attendance and dropout indicators are relative positives: chronic absenteeism is 15.8%, below the state’s 17.3%, and the dropout rate is 0.0%, better than the district’s 0.6% and the state’s 1.1%. The district itself ranks 322 of 432, at the 25th percentile with 1 star; since district test values mirror the school at these grades, the lower district rank likely reflects broader K–12 performance. Overall, Oconto Middle shows strong grade 7–8 math, grade 8 ELA at the state average, and improving grade 8 science and social studies, but significant weaknesses in grades 5–6 ELA and math. Its rank remains below the state median, though it has recovered from its prior-year dip.