Public schools in Wisconsin

The NCES directory lists 2,190 public schools operating in Wisconsin in 2024-25; 2,148 of them reported 805,269 students, averaging 14.2 students per teacher, tied for 20th with Minnesota of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts (the mean of its schools' ratios); Tennessee did not. Its largest district is Milwaukee Public Schools, with 65,555 students in 2024-25.

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23 · method

Schools2,1481,087 elementary, 384 middle, 535 high, 142 other
Students805,2691.7% of U.S. public-school students
Students per teacher14.2U.S. 15.3

Wisconsin has fewer students per teacher than the U.S. average

Wisconsin ranks 20th of the 50 jurisdictions (states and D.C.) that reported 2024-25 teacher counts, counting from the most students per teacher; below, it is shown with the states ranked just above and below it. The full ranking of all 51 is on the states page.

  1. Delaware14.6
  2. Texas14.5
  3. Minnesota14.2
  4. Wisconsin14.2
  5. Iowa14.1
  6. Maryland14.1
  7. Mississippi14.0

Eight in ten larger Wisconsin districts spent between $12,450 and $16,095 per student

Among the 190 Wisconsin districts with at least 1,000 students, one in ten spent less than $12,450 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 and one in ten spent more than $16,095; the median was $13,856. Each tick below is one district: the spread shows how far apart the state's districts are, which a statewide average hides.

Current spending per student, Wisconsin districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23190 values from $11,576 to $21,677; ; state median $13,856.$12,450$16,095the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $13,856
Current spending per student, Wisconsin districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23190 values from $11,576 to $21,677; ; state median $13,856.$12,450$16,095the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $13,856
Current spending per student, Wisconsin districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23190 values from $11,576 to $21,677; ; state median $13,856.$12,450$16,095the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $13,856
Current spending per student, Wisconsin districts with 1,000 or more students, fiscal year 2022-23190 values from $11,576 to $21,677; ; state median $13,856.$12,450$16,095the middle eight in ten1 more above $20,000 →$10k$15k$20kcurrent spending per studentstate median $13,856

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: mean of school ratios from 3 to 99, schools open that year; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures over fall membership, districts with at least 1,000 students.

State test results, 2022-23

In 2022-23, 40.3% of the Wisconsin students tested met the state's reading standard and 40.1% its math standard. Wisconsin writes its own tests and sets its own standard, so these compare Wisconsin's districts and schools with each other, not with other states; each district and school page gives its own results beside these. Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 90.5% of 65,638 students.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2022-23 and four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students.

In the Wisconsin almanac

  1. 01Every school district

    Directory, 2024-25

  2. 02Largest schools

    Largest: Middleton High, 2,303 students (By 2024-25 enrollment)

  3. 03Fewest students per teacher

    Fewest: Vel R Phillips School, 4.8 students per teacher (Schools, 2024-25)

  4. 04Highest-spending districts

    Highest: Lac du Flambeau #1 School District, $30,878 per student (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  5. 05Teacher salary spending by district

    Highest: Gibraltar School District, $100,669 of salary spending per teacher (F-33 fiscal year 2022-23)

  6. 06Chronic absenteeism

    Lowest: Waller Elementary, 0.3% chronically absent (EDFacts 2022-23)

  7. 07Schools by resource index

    Highest index: Royall Elementary, 70 of 100 (CCD and CRDC)

  8. 08Districts by resource index

    Highest index: Amery School District, 65 of 100 on average (CCD and CRDC)

Largest districts in Wisconsin

  1. Milwaukee Public Schools65,555
  2. Madison Metropolitan School District25,155
  3. Green Bay Area Public School District18,379
  4. Kenosha Unified School District18,315
  5. Racine Unified School District15,751
  6. Appleton Area School District14,971
  7. Waukesha School District10,922
  8. Eau Claire Area School District10,687

Every Wisconsin school district, with a find box →

Source: Largest districts: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, students in the district's schools open that year.

Cities with the most public schools

  1. Milwaukee75,078 students177 schools
  2. Green Bay27,446 students57 schools
  3. Madison25,038 students56 schools
  4. Appleton16,072 students39 schools
  5. Kenosha16,803 students31 schools
  6. Waukesha11,232 students28 schools
  7. Sheboygan9,166 students24 schools
  8. Janesville9,725 students24 schools
  9. Racine15,204 students23 schools
  10. Eau Claire10,687 students23 schools
  11. Wausau7,687 students20 schools
  12. Oshkosh9,102 students19 schools

All cities →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: a school counts under the city in its mailing address, so a large city's count takes in suburbs that share its postal name.

Questions about Wisconsin's public schools

  1. How many public schools are in Wisconsin?
    The NCES directory lists 2,190 operating in 2024-25; 2,148 of them reported students: 1,087 elementary, 384 middle, 535 high and 142 other, enrolling 805,269 students (NCES Common Core of Data).
  2. What is the average student-teacher ratio in Wisconsin?
    14.2 students per full-time teacher in 2024-25, against 15.3 for the U.S.; the mean of school ratios for schools open that year.
  3. What is the largest school district in Wisconsin?
    Milwaukee Public Schools, with 65,555 students in its schools in 2024-25 (NCES Common Core of Data).
  4. How much does Wisconsin spend per public-school student?
    $14,850 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, summed over its districts (NCES F-33).

Sources

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership and staff files · 2024-25

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District membership and spending · FY 2022-23

Compiled from official source data by .