The Badger State compares very favorably in pre-K-12 education with the rest of the nation, ranking 6th in the U.S. in NAEP math scores and high school graduation rate, as well as 8th in NAEP reading scores according to U.S. News & World Report. Wisconsin offers its residents some of the best public school districts in the nation.

Wisconsin’s best public school district is Mequon-Thiensville School District, comprising six schools serving Mequon and Thiensville, two suburbs of Milwaukee. MTSD has been repeatedly recognized nationally for its academic excellence, with three of its schools earning the National Blue Ribbon Award in the past fifteen years, most recently Oriole Lane Elementary in 2017.

Waunakee Community School District is Wisconsin’s #2 school district. Administering one independent kindergarten, three elementaries, one intermediate school, and one high school, WCSD schools either meet or exceed expectations in every academic measure.

Ranking third is Whitefish Bay School District, a small system comprising four schools serving Whitefish Bay, WI. The district has consistently excelled in academics and standardized testing compared with the rest of the state, recently becoming the only district in Wisconsin to boast an average ACT score above 25 for over 16 years.

#4 Kohler District honors Wisconsin’s legacy of excellent public schooling, with one of its schools earning a National Blue Ribbon Award in 2013.

Elmbrook School District places fifth due to its students high academic performance: the district’s graduation rate regularly reaches 98%.

Methodology

The following contributed to the ranking: student performance (math and reading test scores), dropout rates, school funding, and area poverty rates. Data was collected from a total of 9,577 school districts.

Did your district make the list?