1
Which teacher or staff member at Bridges Virtual Academy deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
674
Combined
DISTRICT 384 · STATE 272
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MERRILL AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550921002927
Bridges Virtual Academy
1201 N Sales St, Merrill, WI 54452 · (715) 536-9593 · Lincoln County
GRADES PK–12COMBINED32-TOWNCHARTERVIRTUALREGULAR SCHOOL674 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
Virtual schools are not graded, because they enroll students from across the state rather than a local area. How grades work
Student : Teacher
17.3:1
39 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.0:1 · STATE 25.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
11%
73 students
DISTRICT 40% · STATE 42%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 42 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 41 | 6% |
| Grade 1 | 42 | 6% |
| Grade 2 | 50 | 7% |
| Grade 3 | 45 | 7% |
| Grade 4 | 52 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 48 | 7% |
| Grade 6 | 51 | 8% |
| Grade 7 | 51 | 8% |
| Grade 8 | 55 | 8% |
| Grade 9 | 50 | 7% |
| Grade 10 | 50 | 7% |
| Grade 11 | 52 | 8% |
| Grade 12 | 45 | 7% |
This year's kindergarten class (41) is 25% smaller than its 8th grade class (55).
Student demographics
33%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 26% · STATE 54% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
Forward Exam 2024-25 . % Meeting or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
38.6%
WI avg 53.1% . +1.0pp since 2023
Math
26.3%
WI avg 54.8% . -7.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 39 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Wisconsin schools, those numbers are about 53 and 55. Reading and writing scores are up about 1 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 7 points.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 38.6% | 26.3% |
| 2023-24 | 37.6% | 33.6% |
% Meeting or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Forward Exam. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
674
-367 (-35%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
17.3:1
was 26.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 674 | 39 | 17.3:1 | 11% (73) |
| 2023-24 | 697 | 38.5 | 18.1:1 | 8% (54) |
| 2022-23 | 731 | 40 | 18.3:1 | 30% (219) |
| 2020-21 | 1,041 | 40 | 26.0:1 | 36% (379) |
| 2017-18 | 744 | 26.9 | 27.7:1 | 20% (149) |
| 2015-16 | 610 | 19 | 32.1:1 | 21% (129) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Bridges Virtual Academy.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (744 to 674); teachers up 45% (26.9 to 39).
About Bridges Virtual Academy
In Merrill, Wisconsin, part of Lincoln County, Bridges Virtual Academy is a combined-grade school. Enrollment is 674 students in 2024-25, and the school serves pre-K through 12. Against the 272-student average for combined schools in Wisconsin, enrollment here is 148% higher.
The district for Bridges Virtual Academy is Merrill Area School District, with 7 schools and 2,686 students.
The large majority of students at Bridges Virtual Academy, 81%, are White. Other reported shares: 8% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 2% Black. Lincoln County's residents are about 94% White, 13 points above the school's share. Bridges Virtual Academy has a diversity index of 33%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Staffing totals 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 17.3:1. That ratio is under the 25.6:1 average for combined schools in Wisconsin. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Bridges Virtual Academy is 11%. Compared with the 40% average for public schools in Lincoln County, the school's rate is lower.
According to the American Community Survey, in Lincoln County, median household income is about $68,164, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 20%, and about 7% of people live in poverty. A total of 12 public schools operate in Lincoln County, serving about 3,880 students.
The closest public school to Bridges Virtual Academy is Merrill High, less than a tenth of a mile away. Other public schools within five miles number 6.
Its location is classified as Town: Distant by the National Center for Education Statistics. Bridges Virtual Academy is a publicly funded charter school. The school is identified as virtual in federal data.
The number of students dropped from 1,041 to 674 over 4 years. The school's ratio fell from 26.0:1 to 17.3:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
Topics for discussion here include sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Lincoln County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
28,426
Census ACS
Median income
$68,164
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
12
3,880 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Merrill Area School District
- Merrill HighHigh · 756 students
- Prairie River MiddleMiddle · 507 students
- Kate Goodrich ElementaryElementary · 337 students
- Washington ElementaryElementary · 257 students
- Pine River School for Young Learners (PRSYL)Elementary · 124 students
- Merrill Adult Diploma AcademyHigh · 31 students
Other schools in Merrill
- Merrill HighHigh · 756 students
- Prairie River MiddleMiddle · 507 students
- Kate Goodrich ElementaryElementary · 337 students
- Washington ElementaryElementary · 257 students
- Pine River School for Young Learners (PRSYL)Elementary · 124 students
- Merrill Adult Diploma AcademyHigh · 31 students
Nearby schools
- Merrill High0.0 mi · 756
- Washington Elementary0.4 mi · 257
- Merrill Adult Diploma Academy0.9 mi · 31
- Prairie River Middle1.5 mi · 507
- Kate Goodrich Elementary1.8 mi · 337
- Pine River School for Young Learners (PRSYL)2.0 mi · 124
Frequently asked questions
About Bridges Virtual AcademyHow large is Bridges Virtual Academy?
Bridges Virtual Academy enrolls approximately 674 students in grades PK-12.
What grades does Bridges Virtual Academy serve?
Bridges Virtual Academy serves grades PK-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bridges Virtual Academy?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Bridges Virtual Academy is approximately 17.3:1 (39 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Bridges Virtual Academy?
Student demographics at Bridges Virtual Academy are roughly 81% White, 8% Hispanic, 2% Black, 2% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Bridges Virtual Academy in?
Bridges Virtual Academy is part of Merrill Area School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.