Best Middle Schools in Zip Code 54819

ZIP code 54819 has one middle school, Bruce Middle, serving grades 6–8 in Bruce, Wisconsin, as part of Bruce School District. It enrolls 73 students, and 100% are eligible for free/reduced lunch. Per-student spending is $20,231 and the student-teacher ratio is 10.1:1. Chronic absenteeism is 10.0%, lower than the district’s 12.6% and the state’s 17.3%. The dropout rate is 2.1%, slightly above the district’s 1.8% and the state’s 1.1%, though caution is warranted given the small enrollment.

The dominant story is a sharp academic decline. In 2023–24, the school ranked in the 84th percentile with 4 stars. By 2025–26, it had fallen to the 23rd percentile with 1 star. In 2025–26, proficiency is below the state in every listed subject and grade. The largest gap is 7th grade English Language Arts, at 33.33% versus 55.33% statewide—a 22-point gap. The smallest gap is 7th grade Math, at 53.33% versus 55.67% statewide, only 2.34 points below. A year earlier, in 2024–25, the school was above the state in 6th grade Math, 8th grade Math, and 8th grade Social Studies. Those strengths disappeared. The largest year-over-year decline was 8th grade Social Studies, which fell 28.85 percentage points (from 75.00% to 46.15%). 8th grade Math fell 17.69 points and 7th grade ELA fell 16.67 points. An unweighted average of the eight 2025–26 results is about 41.8% at the school versus about 55.5% statewide; in 2024–25, the same average was about 54.3% at the school versus about 54.4% statewide.

The takeaway is a major reversal. With only 73 students, a single grade’s results can swing significantly, but the decline appears across multiple subjects and grades. Attendance is a relative strength, and the school has small classes and high per-student spending. However, the district-level test results are identical to the school’s results for every listed Forward Exam subject and grade. The district itself is ranked 384 of 432, with a percentile of 11 and 1 star. Overall, the school is a small, high-poverty school with strong attendance but 2025–26 proficiency below state average and a trajectory from a 4-star school to a 1-star school.