Summary:
Zip code 54451 in Wisconsin is home to four schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade — one elementary, one middle, one high school, and one large PK–12 virtual alternative school — all part of the Medford Area Public School District, with a combined listed enrollment of 4,079 students.
Enrollment here is unusual: Rural Virtual Academy alone has 2,259 students, more than the other three schools combined, and it posts many of the strongest results — a 96.7% graduation rate, 17 of 20 reported 2025–2026 tests above the state average, and the lowest per-student spending at $8,833, though its student-teacher ratio of 26.7 is by far the highest and ACT Math (37.21%) falls below both district and state. Medford High spends the most per student ($13,975) but has the highest chronic absenteeism (21.8%), a 92.4% graduation rate, and mixed scores — ACT Math is a bright spot at 51.01%, while ACT ELA (33.56%) and 10th grade Social Studies (39.24%) lag.
At the elementary level, Medford Elementary stands out for attendance: chronic absenteeism of just 6.5%, well below the district's 14.7% and the state's 17.3%, with all six reported tests above state average. Medford Middle has the weakest overall profile — only 2 of 10 tests above state average — but showed real year-over-year gains, with 8th grade ELA rising from 29.32% to 49.24% and Social Studies from 39.85% to 59.85%, though still below state. The district overall ranks 171st of 432 in Wisconsin (60th percentile, 3 stars), a figure that masks wide differences between its schools.
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