Summary:
ZIP code 54982 has exactly one middle school, Parkside School in Wautoma, Wisconsin, part of the Wautoma Area School District, serving 480 students in grades 4–8. The district is ranked 380th of 432 districts in Wisconsin (12th percentile, 1 star). Parkside’s own rank has declined: it fell from the 43rd percentile in 2023–24 to the 26th percentile in 2025–26 (478th of 643 schools, 1 star).
Attendance is a clear strength: chronic absenteeism is just 9.1% at Parkside, compared with 11.8% districtwide and 17.3% statewide, and the dropout rate is 0.0%, below Wisconsin’s 1.1%. Grades 4 and 5 generally meet or beat state levels. In 2025–26, Grade 4 ELA is 62.9% proficient vs. 53.87% statewide, Grade 4 math is 61.29% vs. 52.87%, and Grade 4 science is 56.45% vs. 53.46%. Grade 5 ELA (57.14% vs. 53.63%) and math (52.86% vs. 51.81%) also exceed state averages. Grade 4 math rose sharply from 43.06% to 61.29%, and Grade 4 social studies jumped from 50% to 64.52%.
Grades 6–8 are the main concern. Grade 6 ELA is 36.05% vs. 54.95% statewide, and Grade 6 math is 32.56% vs. 53.6% statewide—more than 21 percentage points behind, after falling from 54.21% the prior year. Grade 7 remains below state in both ELA and math. Grade 8 math is 39.6% vs. 53.67%, and Grade 8 social studies is 51.49% vs. 64.63%. Science slipped below state after being slightly above. Despite gains in grades 4–5, Parkside’s overall rank fell from the 43rd to the 26th percentile. With 60% free/reduced lunch, $12,132 per-student spending, and a 13.9:1 student–teacher ratio, the school serves a relatively high-need population. The clear priority is improving middle-grade transition and upper-grade math/ELA while protecting early-grade gains and strong attendance.
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