Enrollment
289
Middle
DISTRICT 318 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MAPLE SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550864000988
Northwestern Middle
10465 E US Highway 2, Poplar, WI 54864 · (715) 364-2218 · Douglas County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL289 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
17.7:1
16 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.3:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
33%
95 students
DISTRICT 33% · STATE 42%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 80 | 28% |
| Grade 7 | 111 | 38% |
| Grade 8 | 98 | 34% |
Student demographics
17%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 19% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Northwestern Middle→Northwestern High
Based on grade levels within Maple School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
Forward Exam 2024-25 . % Meeting or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
59.7%
WI avg 53.1% . +8.6pp since 2023
Math
72.6%
WI avg 54.8% . +4.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 60 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 73 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 9 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 59.7% | 72.6% |
| 2023-24 | 51.1% | 68.5% |
% Meeting or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Forward Exam. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
63.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.5%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 64% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 57% typical for Wisconsin schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Wisconsin's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Northwestern Middle
Northwestern Middle's state test result (63.8% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Middle this school | 289 | 32.9% | 63.8% |
| Westby Middle Westby | 272 | 32.4% | 59.0% |
| River Valley Middle Spring Green | 324 | 33.3% | 63.6% |
| Saint Croix Falls Middle Saint Croix Falls | 297 | 32.3% | 66.4% |
| Dodgeville Middle Dodgeville | 283 | 32.9% | 55.8% |
| Cameron Middle Cameron | 319 | 30.1% | 66.6% |
Matched among Wisconsin middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Northwestern Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 63.8% | #107 of 323 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 72.6% | #59 of 327 ▲ 26 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 59.7% | #127 of 327 ▲ 74 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 289 | #210 of 389 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.7:1 | #262 of 265 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 16.9% | #240 of 265 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 32.9% | #182 of 323 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.0% | #71 of 79 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
289
-5 (-2%) vs 2020
-7% since 1990-91, when it was 311
Student : Teacher
17.7:1
was 16.3:1
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 | 289 | 16.4 | 17.7:1 | 33% (95) |
| 2023-24 | 282 | 16 | 17.6:1 | 40% (112) |
| 2022-23 | 266 | 19 | 14.0:1 | 31% (83) |
| 2020-21 | 294 | 18 | 16.3:1 | 31% (92) |
| 2017-18 | 286 | 20.1 | 14.3:1 | 27% (77) |
| 2015-16 | 295 | 21 | 14.1:1 | 34% (99) |
| 2010-11 | 348 | 20 | 17.4:1 | 41% (144) |
| 2000-01 | 312 | 18 | 17.3:1 | 30% (93) |
| 1990-91 | 311 | 16 | 19.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Northwestern Middle.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (286 to 289); teachers down 19% (20.1 to 16.4).
About Northwestern Middle
Northwestern Middle is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as a middle school in Poplar, Wisconsin. Enrolled students number 289 students, in grades 6 through 8. Statewide, middle schools in Wisconsin average about 381 students each.
Northwestern Middle is a school in Maple School District. The district has 4 schools and 1,271 students.
The large majority of students at Northwestern Middle, 91%, are White. Next come 3% Hispanic, 3% multiracial, and 2% Native American. County-wide, about 90% of residents are White. The chance that two students picked at random at Northwestern Middle belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 17%.
The teaching staff at Northwestern Middle is 16.4 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 17.7:1. The average ratio among middle schools in Wisconsin is 12.8:1, lower than at this school. About 33% of students, or 95, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The 24% average for public schools in Douglas County is 9 points lower.
The model predicts 57.5% for a school in Wisconsin with Northwestern Middle's free or reduced-price lunch share. Northwestern Middle posts 63.8%.
According to the American Community Survey, in Douglas County, median household income is about $75,099, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 28%, and about 6% of people live in poverty. A total of 17 public schools operate in Douglas County, serving about 5,519 students.
Northwestern Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.3 miles away. Counting only straight-line distance, 2 other public schools are within five miles. Of 8 schools in the immediate area with test results, Northwestern Middle ranks 2nd on average proficiency.
NCES assigns Northwestern Middle the locale Rural: Distant, meaning in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Enrollment at Northwestern Middle was 294 in 2020-21 and 289 in 2024-25, a change of less than 3%. Its ratio of students to teachers was 16.3:1 in 2020-21, and 17.7:1 in 2024-25.
Questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Douglas County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
44,229
Census ACS
Median income
$75,099
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
28%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
17
5,519 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Maple School District
- Northwestern ElementaryElementary · 515 students
- Northwestern HighHigh · 372 students
- Iron River ElementaryElementary · 95 students
Other Northwestern Middle schools
7 other US public schools in 8 states are named Northwestern Middle. Northwestern Middle is the 4th largest of the 8.
- Northwestern Middle SchoolAlpharetta, GA · 1,167 students
- Northwestern Middle SchoolZachary, LA · 841 students
- Northwestern Middle SchoolKokomo, IN · 324 students
- Northwestern Middle SchoolWest Salem, OH · 284 students
- Northwestern Middle SchoolAlbion, PA · 266 students
Nearby schools
- Northwestern Elementary0.3 mi · 515
- Northwestern High1.6 mi · 372
- Lake Superior Elementary13.1 mi · 141
- Four Corners Elementary15.6 mi · 200
- Iron River Elementary16.3 mi · 95
- Eagles' Wings Virtual Charter School16.9 mi · 17
Frequently asked questions
About Northwestern MiddleWhat is the total enrollment at Northwestern Middle?
Northwestern Middle enrolls approximately 289 students in grades 06-08.
Is Northwestern Middle an elementary, middle, or high school?
Northwestern Middle is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many teachers does Northwestern Middle have?
Northwestern Middle employs 16 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 17.7:1.
What is the student diversity at Northwestern Middle?
Student demographics at Northwestern Middle are roughly 91% White, 3% Hispanic, 0% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Northwestern Middle?
Northwestern Middle is overseen by Maple School District in Douglas County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.