Is Prairie River Middle a good school?

Prairie River Middle ranks 452 nd of 641 Wisconsin middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Prairie River Middle?

In the 2023-24 school year, 541 students attended Prairie River Middle.

What is the racial makeup of Prairie River Middle?

Students at Prairie River Middle are 90% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 1% American Indian.

What high school do graduates of Prairie River Middle attend?

Students who attend Prairie River Middle usually go on to attend Merrill High

Prairie River Middle

Summary:

Prairie River Middle is a public middle school located in Merrill, Wisconsin, serving grades 5-8 with a total enrollment of 593 students. The school is part of the Merrill Area School District, which is ranked 224 out of 428 school districts in Wisconsin and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Prairie River Middle has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past few years, dropping from 282 out of 612 Wisconsin middle schools in 2014-2015 to 452 out of 641 in 2023-2024. The school's SchoolDigger rating has also decreased, from 3 stars in 2014-2015 to 1 star in 2023-2024. While female students have generally outperformed male students, and Hispanic students have performed better than White students, the school's overall academic performance, as measured by the Forward Exam, is generally below the state and district averages in both English Language Arts and Mathematics across all grade levels. Additionally, the school's chronic absenteeism rate has increased significantly, from 8.2% in 2018-2019 to 19.0% in 2022-2023.

Compared to nearby schools, such as Marathon Venture Academy and John Muir Middle and Horace Mann Middle in the Wausau School District, Prairie River Middle generally underperforms in academic performance and student engagement. These comparisons highlight the potential for Prairie River Middle to learn from and emulate the practices of higher-performing schools in the region to address its declining performance and increasing chronic absenteeism concerns.

Detail:

Public 5-8

106 N Polk St
Merrill, WI 54452-2344

(715) 536-9593

District: Merrill Area School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
452^nd of 641 Wisconsin Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,474

Students who attend Prairie River Middle usually attend:

High:

Merrill High

Feeder schools for Prairie River Middle:

Elementary:	Kate Goodrich Elementary
	Washington Elementary

Student/teacher ratio: 15.1

Number of students: 541

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.2%

Two or more races:

4.3%

Hispanic:

3.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 48.1%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Prairie River Middle ranks worse than 70.5% of middle schools in Wisconsin. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 36.23. (See more...)

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (90.2%), two or more races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 48.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Prairie River Middle is 15.1. (See more...)

Compare Prairie River Middle employs 35.8 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Prairie River Middle is $12,474.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Prairie River Middle:

SchoolDigger ranks Prairie River Middle 452^nd of 641 Wisconsin public middle schools. (See Prairie River Middle in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Merrill Area School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Merrill Area School District 224^th of 428 Wisconsin school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Prairie River Middle.

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Your rating for Prairie River Middle?

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Rank History for Prairie River Middle

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Rank History for all students at Prairie River Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WI State Percentile
2004	54.22	202^nd	324	37.7%
2005	56.58	197^th	332	40.7%
2006	57.35	228^th	382	40.3%
2007	59.91	198^th	366	45.9%
2008	49.83	353^rd	519	32.0%
2009	56.54	283^rd	521	45.7%
2010	60.06	250^th	539	53.6%
2011	60.18	258^th	549	53.0%
2012	57.57	304^th	559	45.6%
2013	54.41	295^th	569	48.2%
2014	54.65	309^th	585	47.2%
2015	57.32	282^nd	612	53.9%
2016	47.08	345^th	609	43.3%
2017	37.82	419^th	612	31.5%
2018	34.52	435^th	579	24.9%
2019	24.36	495^th	594	16.7%
2021	40.79	402^nd	613	34.4%
2022	60.82	217^th	617	64.8%
2023	48.77	335^th	640	47.7%
2024	36.23	452^nd	641	29.5%

See the entire list of Wisconsin Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Prairie River Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	72.79	17^th	96	82.3%
2021	29.30	100^th	129	22.5%
2022	59.20	36^th	126	71.4%
2023	26.62	109^th	132	17.4%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Prairie River Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	31.98	305^th	417	26.9%
2019	33.18	300^th	414	27.5%
2021	55.12	141^st	437	67.7%
2022	54.63	154^th	421	63.4%
2023	36.96	284^th	439	35.3%
2024	34.29	288^th	425	32.2%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Prairie River Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	28.18	400^th	489	18.2%
2019	26.34	405^th	487	16.8%
2021	39.37	322^nd	499	35.5%
2022	64.14	133^rd	522	74.5%
2023	43.39	295^th	525	43.8%
2024	35.34	358^th	520	31.2%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Prairie River Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	40.88	383^rd	551	30.5%
2019	23.96	463^rd	557	16.9%
2021	42.84	361^st	574	37.1%
2022	64.05	171^st	576	70.3%
2023	55.11	253^rd	579	56.3%
2024	33.28	429^th	580	26.0%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Prairie River Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	31.19	426^th	551	22.7%
2019	27.77	448^th	557	19.6%
2021	41.34	362^nd	572	36.7%
2022	58.20	230^th	577	60.1%
2023	43.02	349^th	591	40.9%
2024	41.92	384^th	585	34.4%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Prairie River Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	49.14	114^th	239	52.3%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Prairie River Middle

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	15.17	339^th	375	9.6%
2019	9.29	368^th	382	3.7%
2021	27.41	312^th	393	20.6%
2022	47.27	212^th	397	46.6%
2023	32.87	296^th	412	28.2%
2024	16.25	363^rd	407	10.8%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a parent
Thursday, January 6, 2011

PRMS loves kids and have a fantastic teachers. Three of my children have attended and another one will next year. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Prairie River Middle

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1999	787	1	8	6	1	n/a	n/a	803
2000	705	1	4	6	0	n/a	n/a	716
2001	719	0	8	4	2	n/a	n/a	733
2002	733	0	11	8	3	n/a	n/a	755
2003	733	0	11	8	3	n/a	n/a	755
2004	720	1	8	8	2	n/a	n/a	739
2005	711	1	9	8	2	n/a	n/a	731
2006	704	0	8	7	2	n/a	n/a	721
2007	693	2	9	4	2	n/a	n/a	710
2008	676	4	6	8	2	n/a	n/a	696
2009	661	8	8	11	0	n/a	n/a	688
2010	658	7	6	11	1	n/a	n/a	683
2011	635	6	1	6	4	5	0	657
2012	572	9	1	7	6	5	1	601
2013	530	9	0	11	5	4	1	560
2014	530	10	0	5	3	1	3	552
2015	538	7	3	11	5	1	3	568
2016	553	9	3	11	5	2	6	589
2017	515	8	3	9	4	1	10	550
2018	521	7	1	6	4	2	19	560
2019	514	6	1	13	2	0	21	557
2020	523	10	4	21	1	2	15	576
2021	465	4	4	20	1	0	19	513
2022	588	7	0	22	5	0	34	656
2023	531	3	1	22	5	0	31	593
2024	488	4	3	17	6	0	23	541

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Prairie River Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	803	54.4	14.8	27.8
2000	716	51.5	13.9	29.5
2001	733	50.3	14.6	28.9
2002	755	49.6	15.2	29.4
2003	755	49.6	15.2	29.4
2004	739	50.8	14.5	26.1
2005	731	47.2	15.5	n/a
2006	721	47.9	15.1	n/a
2007	710	44.6	15.9	33.2
2008	696	44.3	15.7	32
2009	688	42.7	16.1	34.6
2010	683	42.8	15.9	44.8
2011	657	41.8	15.7	46.1
2012	601	39.3	15.2	44.4
2013	560	38.3	14.6	47
2014	552	40.5	13.6	48.2
2015	568	n/a	n/a	48.4
2016	589	40.0	14.7	46.7
2017	550	38.6	14.2	40.7
2018	560	38.6	14.4	37.5
2019	557	38.7	14.3	44.9
2020	576	38.3	15.0	41.1
2021	513	40.6	12.6	44.1
2022	656	43.7	14.9	45.3
2023	593	44.8	13.2	41.7
2024	541	35.8	15.1	48.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Prairie River Middle

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1999	803	54.4	14.8	27.8
2000	716	51.5	13.9	29.5
2001	733	50.3	14.6	28.9
2002	755	49.6	15.2	29.4
2003	755	49.6	15.2	29.4
2004	739	50.8	14.5	26.1
2005	731	47.2	15.5	n/a
2006	721	47.9	15.1	n/a
2007	710	44.6	15.9	33.2
2008	696	44.3	15.7	32
2009	688	42.7	16.1	34.6
2010	683	42.8	15.9	44.8
2011	657	41.8	15.7	46.1
2012	601	39.3	15.2	44.4
2013	560	38.3	14.6	47
2014	552	40.5	13.6	48.2
2015	568	n/a	n/a	48.4
2016	589	40.0	14.7	46.7
2017	550	38.6	14.2	40.7
2018	560	38.6	14.4	37.5
2019	557	38.7	14.3	44.9
2020	576	38.3	15.0	41.1
2021	513	40.6	12.6	44.1
2022	656	43.7	14.9	45.3
2023	593	44.8	13.2	41.7
2024	541	35.8	15.1	48.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Prairie River Middle

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$292 (2.4%)	$11,711 (97.6%)	$12,003
2020	$303 (2.6%)	$11,363 (97.4%)	$11,666
2021	$272 (2.2%)	$12,202 (97.8%)	$12,474

Data source: Wisconsin Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Prairie River Middle

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 495^th of 594 Middle schools	Ranks 335^th of 640 Middle schools	31%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Prairie River Middle)	24.4	36.8	12.4%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Merrill Area School District)	25.3	40.5	15.3%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)	41.7	40.6	1.1%
6th Grade Mathematics (Prairie River Middle)	29.8	38.5	8.7%
6th Grade Mathematics (Merrill Area School District)	28.4	38.5	10.2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)	43.5	42.6	0.9%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Prairie River Middle)	26	42.1	16%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Merrill Area School District)	32.3	47.5	15.2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)	45.5	41.1	4.4%
7th Grade Mathematics (Prairie River Middle)	32.3	32.3	0%
7th Grade Mathematics (Merrill Area School District)	34.5	35	0.5%
7th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)	39.7	35.7	4%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Prairie River Middle)	18.6	37.7	19.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Merrill Area School District)	25.6	43.2	17.6%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)	37.3	37.8	0.5%
8th Grade Mathematics (Prairie River Middle)	26	29.6	3.6%
8th Grade Mathematics (Merrill Area School District)	26.4	31.3	4.8%
8th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)	36.5	31.8	4.7%
8th Grade Social Studies (Prairie River Middle)	34.3	54.7	20.4%
8th Grade Social Studies (Merrill Area School District)	38.9	57.4	18.5%
8th Grade Social Studies (Wisconsin)	52.1	59.2	7.1%
8th Grade Science (Prairie River Middle)	42.4	46	3.5%
8th Grade Science (Merrill Area School District)	46.9	50	3.1%
8th Grade Science (Wisconsin)	54.6	49.4	5.3%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	557	593	6.5%
African American	6	3	50%
American Indian	2	5	150%
Asian	1	1
Hispanic	13	22	69.2%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	514	531	3.3%
Two or More Races	21	31	47.6%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	44.9%	41.7%	3.2%

Schools Near Prairie River Middle

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2024)				Forward Exam Mathematics (2024)				Forward Exam Social Studies (2024)	Forward Exam Science (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Prairie River Middle	Public	5-8	106 N Polk St	Merrill	54452	Lincoln County	Merrill Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 536-9593	541	36	15.1	48.1%	488 (90.2%)	4 (0.7%)	17 (3.1%)	3 (0.6%)	6 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (4.3%)	36.2	452^nd of 641 public middle schools	29.5%		48.8	335^th of 640 public middle schools	47.7%	117	38.8	36.5	37.7	52.5	42.2	40.0	39.8	43.7	49.0	45.9	$12,474	$272	$12,202
Horace Mann Middle	Public	6-8	3101 N 13th St	Wausau	54403	Marathon County	Wausau School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 261-0725	662	50	13.1	47.4%	453 (68.4%)	21 (3.2%)	51 (7.7%)	97 (14.7%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.3%)	50.7	353^rd of 641 public middle schools	44.9%		51.6	310^th of 640 public middle schools	51.6%	43		63.3	53.5	44.6		62.4	51.6	46.0	55.7	41.6	$13,520	$578	$12,942
John Muir Middle	Public	6-8	1400 W Stewart Ave	Wausau	54401	Marathon County	Wausau School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 261-0100	977	74	13.2	47.0%	594 (60.8%)	29 (3.0%)	63 (6.4%)	226 (23.1%)	5 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	56 (5.7%)	62.2	246^th of 641 public middle schools	61.6%		65.9	187^th of 640 public middle schools	70.8%	59		55.4	53.0	55.9		59.2	56.2	60.1	63.3	63.6	$12,147	$293	$11,855
Marathon Venture Academy	Public, Charter	6-8	100 Spring Valley Dr	Marathon	54448	Marathon County	Marathon City School District	Yes	No	No	No	(715) 443-2538	161	10	16.9	23.6%	144 (89.4%)	1 (0.6%)	9 (5.6%)	5 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	70.1	176^th of 641 public middle schools	72.5%		61.3	221^st of 640 public middle schools	65.5%	45		65.4	60.0	49.0		75.0	56.4	67.4	75.5	59.2	$3,937	$296	$3,641

Prairie River Middle

Prairie River Middle:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Merrill Area School District:

Average Parent Rating:

What do you think?

Rank History for Prairie River Middle

Rank History for all students at Prairie River Middle

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Prairie River Middle

Rank History for Special Education students at Prairie River Middle

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Prairie River Middle

Rank History for Female students at Prairie River Middle

Rank History for Male students at Prairie River Middle

Rank History for Hispanic students at Prairie River Middle

Rank History for White students at Prairie River Middle

Review counts

Enrollment information for Prairie River Middle

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Prairie River Middle

Student/Teacher Ratio Prairie River Middle

Per Pupil Expenditures for Prairie River Middle

Impact of COVID-19 on Prairie River Middle

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Prairie River Middle