State report card finds area schools meeting or exceeding expectations

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - The vast majority of school districts in WBAY’s viewing area meet or exceed expectations in the latest state report card.

Each year, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) scores school districts on achievement, growth, target group outcomes, and how many students are on track for graduation. There are several factors to reach. For the on-track score, the DPI looked at attendance, absenteeism, and graduation rates.

This year’s report card used data from the past three school years -- 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23. It’s the first report that doesn’t include assessments from before the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the pandemic, this is also the first report card to have three consecutive years of achievement data since the 2018-19 report.

The DPI scored more than 400 school districts and schools around the state. Whitefish Bay had the highest score in the state, 95 out of a possible 100. The lowest score went to Lakeland Union High School in Oneida County, 48.6.

25 school districts and schools significantly exceeded expectations, including Kohler and Cedar-Grove Belgium in Sheboygan County, with scores of 89.0 and 86.1, respectively.
131 school districts and schools exceeded expectations. In our area, De Pere led with a score of 81.9.
Green Bay and Marinette both made it over the threshold for meeting expectations, with scores of 58.2 and 58.4 respectively, joining 236 other school districts and schools that met expectations.
At the bottom of the grading, 23 districts and schools failed to meet all expectations. These include Manitowoc (57.0), Reedsville (56.6), and Two Rivers (51.6) in Manitowoc County.

Area school districts that exceed expectations, and their overall scores (in descending order):

De Pere, 81.9
Sevastopol, 80.4
Kimberly, 78.2
Winneconne, 78.1
Washington Island, 77.9
West De Pere 76.9
Howard-Suamico, 76.4
Oakfield, 76.2
Wrightstown, 75.6
Southern Door, 75.5

“The staff, students and parents should be very proud of this outstanding achievement!” a statement from the Southern Door School District reads in part. “As we celebrate the efforts and accomplishments of our staff and students, we hold a firm belief that learning and achievement are ongoing journeys rather than fixed destinations. Our dedication to improvement is continuous; we remain actively engaged in the process of refining and enhancing our educational endeavors.”

Little Chute, 74.7
Luxemburg-Casco, 73.7
Florence County 73.2
Hortonville, 73.2
New Holstein, 73.2
Coleman, 73.0
Neenah, 72.9
Wautoma, 72.8
Pulaski, 72.6
Brillion, 71.6
Crivitz, 71.5
Hilbert, 71.5
Kaukauna, 71.5
Campbellsport, 71.2
Shiocton, 70.9
Omro, 70.6
Denmark, 70.5
Chilton, 70.4
Weyauwega-Fremont, 70.3

Area school districts that meet expectations and their overall scores (in ascending order):

The Oshkosh Area School District noted that individually North and West high schools’ scores exceeded expectations. It issued a statement, “OASD high schools are continuing to demonstrate strong performance, focusing on student growth and high rates of student participation in the arts and dual enrollment courses. This recognition is a testament to the efforts of the entire District, school leaders, teachers, and staff members, as well as the incredible work and growth of OASD students and families.”

Sturgeon Bay, 68.5
Suring, 68.5
Waupaca, 69.2
Kiel, 69.7
Mishicot, 69.7
Niagara, 69.7
North Fond du Lac, 69.7

Area school districts that meet few expectations, and their scores (listed in ascending order):

Two Rivers, 51.6
Menominee Indian, 52.2
Tri-County Area, 53.8
Crandon, 54.7
Reedsville, 56.6
Manitowoc, 57.0

Manitowoc Superintendent Jim Feil noted it’s the first time in years the school district failed to meet expectations. He wrote in a letter to staff and families, “Our biggest initial takeaway, which we identified last year before these scores were released based on 6+ years of trend data, is that we need changes to our curricula, especially in reading.... In September 2023 we rolled out our new Success for All (SFA) reading curriculum and whole-school reform model, and we are excited about great results we are already seeing from the change to SFA.”

Copyright 2023 WBAY. All rights reserved.