Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 54457

The 54457 zip code is home to two middle schools: Alexander Middle and Central Wisconsin STEM Academy. While Alexander Middle is a traditional public school, Central Wisconsin STEM Academy is a public charter school that has been outperforming the district and state averages on several key test score metrics, particularly in 6th-8th grade English Language Arts and Mathematics.

Alexander Middle, with an enrollment of 333 students, has shown signs of improvement in recent years, with increasing proficiency rates in ELA and Math. However, the school's overall performance remains below the state averages. In contrast, the smaller Central Wisconsin STEM Academy, with an enrollment of 32 students, has consistently outperformed the district and state, with 73.33% of its 7th graders scoring proficient or better in ELA, compared to 50% for the Nekoosa School District and 53.59% statewide.

Both schools have a high chronic absenteeism rate of 17.7% and a similar free/reduced lunch rate of around 56%. However, the significant difference in per-student spending and student-teacher ratios between the two schools may be a contributing factor to their performance gap, with Alexander Middle spending $13,679 per student and having a student-teacher ratio of 11.9, while Central Wisconsin STEM Academy spends $8,682 per student and has a student-teacher ratio of 24.6.