Summary:
ZIP code 54656 in Sparta, Wisconsin contains two middle schools — Innovations STEM Academy, serving grades 6–8 with 90 students, and Sparta Meadowview Middle, serving grades 5–8 with 687 students — both part of the Sparta Area School District and both located at 1225 N Water St. Together they enroll 777 students, and the data treats them as separate schools even though they appear to share a campus.
Academically, the two schools look very different. Innovations STEM Academy ranks 226 of 643 schools (65th percentile, 3 stars) for 2025–26, while Sparta Meadowview Middle ranks 470 of 643 (27th percentile, 1 star). Innovations also ranked higher in 2024–25 (310 of 628, 3 stars) and 2023–24 (170 of 641, 4 stars) than Meadowview (461 of 628 and 487 of 641, both 1 star). Innovations outscored Meadowview in every overlapping grade and subject in both years, with 2025–26 gaps ranging from +5.70 points in 8th-grade Social Studies to +24.70 points in 8th-grade Science. Innovations was above the state in most 2025–26 subjects, including 7th-grade ELA and 8th-grade Science; Meadowview was below the state in every subject shown, with its closest result being 8th-grade Social Studies at 63.53%, about 1.1 points below state.
Attendance, income, and staffing patterns also differ. Innovations reports 2.2% chronic absenteeism versus 6.4% at Meadowview, 7.0% in the district, and 17.3% statewide, and both schools report a 0.0% dropout rate. Innovations has fewer students from low-income families (32.22% free/reduced lunch vs 49.78%) yet a higher student-teacher ratio (16.7 vs 10.6), and per-pupil spending is nearly identical ($16,024 vs $15,789). Notably, the district as a whole ranks 360 of 432 districts (17th percentile, 1 star), so Innovations' results stand out well beyond this ZIP code.
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