Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 54864

ZIP code 54864 in Poplar, Wisconsin, has one public elementary school, Northwestern Elementary, serving grades PK–5 with 515 students as part of Maple School District. Because it is the only elementary school in the ZIP code, it is the default standout, but its profile is most useful when compared with its district and the state. The school has earned 3 stars in each of the last three years, with its percentile moving from 50 in 2023-2024 to 63 in 2024-2025 and then to 55 in 2025-2026. The district itself ranks 179 of 432, at the 59th percentile with 3 stars.

Academically, English language arts is the clearest strength. In 2025-2026, all tested ELA grades were above the Wisconsin state average: 3rd grade at 63.16% proficient versus 52.08%, 4th grade at 58.33% versus 53.87%, and 5th grade at 66.23% versus 53.63%. The school’s ELA average was 62.57%, above the district’s 59.13% and well above the state’s 53.19%. Math is the main watch area: the school’s math average was 51.10%, below the district’s 52.85% and the state’s 53.14%, and 5th grade math fell sharply from 64.10% in 2024-2025 to 48.05% in 2025-2026. Social studies was 65.28%, close to the state’s 65.51%, while science was 51.39%, below the state’s 53.46% but above the district’s 45.68%. Across all eight listed tests, the school averaged 57.21% proficient, compared with 55.73% for the district and 54.75% for the state, largely because of ELA.

For families, other context matters too. In 2024-2025, chronic absenteeism was 14.3% at the school, below the state’s 17.3% but above the district’s 12.6%. Free or reduced lunch was 31.84%, per-student spending was $12,017, and the student-teacher ratio was 17. The bottom line is that the school has strong ELA outcomes, absenteeism better than the state average, and overall proficiency above state and district benchmarks. The areas to watch are math—especially 5th grade math—and the recent ranking percentile slip from 63 to 55.