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Parents: what's one thing you'd want the Merrill Middle administration to hear?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
832
Middle
DISTRICT 412 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·OSHKOSH AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 551119001492
Vel Phillips Middle School
1401 Kentucky St, Oshkosh, WI 54901 · (920) 424-0177 · Winnebago County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL832 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.4:1
73 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.3:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
62%
518 students
DISTRICT 48% · STATE 42%
Community
1
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 | 266 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 288 | 35% |
| Grade 8 | 278 | 33% |
Student demographics
68%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 56% · 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
31.3%
WI avg 53.1% . -1.5pp since 2023
Math
28.9%
WI avg 54.8% . -2.4pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 31 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 29 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Wisconsin schools, those numbers are about 53 and 55. Reading and writing scores are down about 1 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 2 points.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 31.3% | 28.9% |
| 2023-24 | 32.8% | 31.3% |
% 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
34.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
39.5%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-4.7pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 39% 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 Vel Phillips Middle School
Vel Phillips Middle School's state test result (34.8% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vel Phillips Middle School this school | 832 | 62.3% | 34.8% |
| Lombardi Middle Green Bay | 664 | 55.6% | 47.1% |
| Logan Middle La Crosse | 424 | 53.3% | 47.1% |
| Washington Middle Manitowoc | 566 | 62.4% | 33.2% |
| Maplewood Middle Menasha | 676 | 55.9% | 44.0% |
| Franklin Middle Janesville | 486 | 66.5% | 34.4% |
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 Vel Phillips Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin | In Winnebago County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 34.8% | #296 of 323 | #8 of 8 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 28.9% | #305 of 327 ▼ 4 | #8 of 8 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 31.3% | #310 of 327 ▼ 9 | #8 of 8 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 832 | #25 of 389 | #2 of 9 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.4:1 | #52 of 265 | #3 of 8 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 67.7% | #24 of 265 | #1 of 8 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 62.3% | #31 of 323 | #1 of 8 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +78.9% | #2 of 79 | N/A |
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
832
+353 (+74%) vs 2020
+79% since 1990-91, when it was 466
Student : Teacher
11.4:1
was 10.4:1
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 | 832 | 72.7 | 11.4:1 | 62% (518) |
| 2023-24 | 811 | 70.6 | 11.5:1 | 64% (523) |
| 2022-23 | 453 | 43.3 | 10.5:1 | 62% (281) |
| 2020-21 | 479 | 46 | 10.4:1 | 62% (297) |
| 2017-18 | 465 | 44.1 | 10.5:1 | 52% (241) |
| 2015-16 | 459 | 41 | 11.2:1 | 56% (257) |
| 2010-11 | 410 | 32 | 12.8:1 | 50% (207) |
| 2000-01 | 437 | 30 | 14.6:1 | 21% (93) |
| 1990-91 | 466 | 29 | 16.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Vel Phillips Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 79% (465 to 832); teachers up 65% (44.1 to 72.7).
About Vel Phillips Middle School
Families in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, are served by Vel Phillips Middle School, a large middle-grades school. It covers grades 6 through 8, with a total enrollment of 832 students. Enrollment is 118% higher than the average for middle schools in Wisconsin, which is about 381.
Oshkosh Area School District is made up of 21 schools with 9,582 students in all.
White students are the majority at Vel Phillips Middle School, with 51% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 18% Black, 12% multiracial, 10% Asian, and 9% Hispanic. The school's White share is 36 points below the 87% share among Winnebago County residents. Vel Phillips Middle School's diversity index is 68%, against a US figure of 70%.
Federal records show a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.4:1 at Vel Phillips Middle School, with 72.7 full-time-equivalent teachers. On average, middle schools in Wisconsin have 12.8:1, compared with 11.4:1 here. The count of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch equals 62% of enrollment. It compares with 41% for public schools in Winnebago County.
In Wisconsin, Vel Phillips Middle School is in the middle band of BeatsExpectations: 34.8% actual against a predicted 39.5%.
Winnebago County has these Census figures: the median household income is $74,925, roughly 31% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Winnebago County is home to 56 public schools and about 22,271 public school students.
Merrill Elementary is the closest public school, about 0.2 miles away in a straight line. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. Among 9 nearby schools that report test results, Vel Phillips Middle School ranks 5th on proficiency.
Under the NCES locale system, Vel Phillips Middle School is City: Small.
In 2020-21 the school reported 479 students, and in 2024-25 it reported 832. Grade changes, mergers, or boundary shifts can explain gaps this large. Federal data show the ratio rising from 10.4:1 to 11.4:1.
Topics for discussion here include school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Winnebago County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
171,769
Census ACS
Median income
$74,925
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
56
22,271 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Oshkosh Area School District
- West HighHigh · 1,623 students
- North HighHigh · 1,266 students
- Menominee Elementary SchoolElementary · 573 students
- Ready 4 Learning SchoolElementary · 522 students
- Traeger MiddleMiddle · 447 students
- Traeger ElementaryElementary · 423 students
Other schools in Oshkosh
- West HighHigh · 1,623 students
- North HighHigh · 1,266 students
- Menominee Elementary SchoolElementary · 573 students
- Ready 4 Learning SchoolElementary · 522 students
- Traeger MiddleMiddle · 447 students
- Traeger ElementaryElementary · 423 students
Nearby schools
- Merrill Elementary0.2 mi · 256
- Oaklawn Elementary0.5 mi · 416
- Read Elementary0.7 mi · 383
- North High0.9 mi · 1,266
- E Cook Elementary1.0 mi · 278
- Menominee Elementary School1.0 mi · 573
Frequently asked questions
About Vel Phillips Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Vel Phillips Middle School?
Vel Phillips Middle School enrolls approximately 832 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Vel Phillips Middle School serve?
Vel Phillips Middle School serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vel Phillips Middle School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Vel Phillips Middle School is approximately 11.4:1 (73 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Vel Phillips Middle School?
At Vel Phillips Middle School, the student body is approximately 51% White, 9% Hispanic, 18% Black, 10% Asian, 12% Two or more.
Is Vel Phillips Middle School public or private?
Vel Phillips Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Oshkosh Area School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.