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What do you wish you knew before starting at Wayne Bartels Middle?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
422
Middle
DISTRICT 245 · STATE 381
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PORTAGE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 551206002283
Wayne Bartels Middle
2505 New Pinery Rd, Portage, WI 53901 · (608) 742-2165 · Columbia County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL422 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 22% of Wisconsin public middle schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Wisconsin public middle schools
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
32 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.0:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
40%
169 students
DISTRICT 34% · 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 | 136 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 129 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 157 | 37% |
Student demographics
37%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 35% · 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
Based on grade levels within Portage Community School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
Forward Exam 2024-25 . % Meeting or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
45.3%
WI avg 53.1% . -1.3pp since 2023
Math
49.4%
WI avg 54.8% . +4.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 49 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 up about 5 points.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 45.3% | 49.4% |
| 2023-24 | 46.6% | 44.5% |
% 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
49.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
53.1%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.8pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 49% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% 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 Wayne Bartels Middle
Wayne Bartels Middle's state test result (49.3% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Bartels Middle this school | 422 | 40.0% | 49.3% |
| Central Middle Hartford | 419 | 39.4% | 47.5% |
| New London Middle New London | 540 | 40.6% | 58.0% |
| Turner Middle Beloit | 381 | 38.6% | 56.9% |
| Monroe Middle Monroe | 483 | 41.4% | 57.9% |
| Webb Middle Reedsburg | 572 | 40.9% | 54.0% |
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 Wayne Bartels Middle ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin | In Columbia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 49.3% | #235 of 323 | #6 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 49.4% | #233 of 327 ▲ 24 | #6 of 6 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.3% | #252 of 327 ▼ 16 | #6 of 6 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 422 | #148 of 389 | #1 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.3:1 | #146 of 265 | #4 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 37.1% | #128 of 265 | #2 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 40.0% | #138 of 323 | #2 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -24.2% | #26 of 176 | 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
422
-14 (-3%) vs 2020
-17% since 1990-91, when it was 511
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 13.6:1
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 | 422 | 31.6 | 13.3:1 | 40% (169) |
| 2023-24 | 409 | 30.8 | 13.3:1 | 1% (3) |
| 2022-23 | 406 | 33.7 | 12.1:1 | 47% (192) |
| 2020-21 | 436 | 32 | 13.6:1 | 46% (199) |
| 2017-18 | 557 | 40.5 | 13.8:1 | 39% (215) |
| 2015-16 | 562 | 37 | 15.2:1 | 46% (258) |
| 2010-11 | 338 | 29 | 11.7:1 | 35% (119) |
| 2000-01 | 403 | 34 | 11.8:1 | 22% (87) |
| 1990-91 | 511 | 37 | 13.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Wayne Bartels Middle.
Since 2017-18: students down 24% (557 to 422); teachers down 22% (40.5 to 31.6).
About Wayne Bartels Middle
Wayne Bartels Middle operates as a medium-sized middle school in Portage, Wisconsin. The school counts 422 students across grades 6 through 8.
Portage Community School District has 8 schools and 1,956 students, and Wayne Bartels Middle is one of those schools.
By race and ethnicity, Wayne Bartels Middle is 78% White. After that, the student body is 13% Hispanic and 6% multiracial. Census figures show Columbia County is about 91% White. The chance that two students picked at random at Wayne Bartels Middle belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 37%.
Dividing enrollment by its 31.6 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 13.3:1. Middle schools in Wisconsin have a similar average ratio of 12.8:1. Wayne Bartels Middle reports 40% of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
allk12 grades Wayne Bartels Middle a C-. The grade compares the school only with Wisconsin public middle schools, because each state gives its own test.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Wayne Bartels Middle is 3.8 points below its prediction. Actual: 49.3%. Predicted: 53.1%.
Across Columbia County, median household income is about $85,351, about 26% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 5%. Wayne Bartels Middle is among the 31 public schools in Columbia County.
The closest other public school is Portage Academy of Achievement, less than a tenth of a mile away. There are 6 other public schools within five miles. Local comparison: Wayne Bartels Middle ranks 3rd of 5 nearby schools, at 49.3% versus a 47.7% average.
Federal data place Wayne Bartels Middle in the Rural: Fringe locale, which means it is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Federal counts put enrollment at 436 in 2020-21 and 422 in 2024-25, a 3% decrease.
Discussions about Wayne Bartels Middle may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Columbia County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
58,272
Census ACS
Median income
$85,351
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
26%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
5%
Below federal line
Schools in county
31
8,498 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Portage Community School District
- Portage HighHigh · 600 students
- Muir ElementaryElementary · 439 students
- Woodridge ElementaryElementary · 201 students
- Portage Partnering PreschoolElementary · 129 students
- Lewiston ElementaryElementary · 84 students
- Endeavor ElementaryElementary · 57 students
Other schools in Portage
- Portage HighHigh · 600 students
- Muir ElementaryElementary · 439 students
- Woodridge ElementaryElementary · 201 students
- Portage Partnering PreschoolElementary · 129 students
- Lewiston ElementaryElementary · 84 students
- Portage Academy of AchievementHigh · 24 students
Nearby schools
- Portage Academy of Achievement0.0 mi · 24
- Portage Partnering Preschool0.2 mi · 129
- Woodridge Elementary0.2 mi · 201
- Muir Elementary0.2 mi · 439
- Portage High0.3 mi · 600
- DOC: Columbia Correctional Institution1.3 mi · 6
Frequently asked questions
About Wayne Bartels MiddleWhat is the total enrollment at Wayne Bartels Middle?
Wayne Bartels Middle enrolls approximately 422 students in grades 06-08.
Is Wayne Bartels Middle an elementary, middle, or high school?
Wayne Bartels Middle is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at Wayne Bartels Middle?
Approximately 13.3:1 students per teacher at Wayne Bartels Middle.
How diverse is Wayne Bartels Middle?
Wayne Bartels Middle reports a student body of 78% White, 13% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Who oversees Wayne Bartels Middle?
Wayne Bartels Middle is overseen by Portage Community School District in Columbia County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.