Schools in Bowler, WI

Bowler, Wisconsin is a small rural community served by just two public schools, both part of the Bowler School District: Bowler Elementary, which serves prekindergarten through grade 6 with about 156 students, and Bowler High, which serves grades 7 through 12 with about 138 students. There is no separate middle school — grades 7 and 8 are housed at the high school — and total enrollment across the district is roughly 294 students.

Comparing the two schools, the sharpest difference is attendance. Bowler Elementary's chronic absenteeism rate of 16.5% is slightly better than the state's 17.3%, while Bowler High's rate of 34.3% is roughly double the state figure and well above the district's 24.4%. That gap carries into high school outcomes: Bowler High's graduation rate is 80.7% compared with 92.0% statewide, and its dropout rate of 1.4% is somewhat above the state's 1.1%. Both schools received 1 star in the latest rankings, with Bowler Elementary at 909 of 1,039 schools and Bowler High at 466 of 533 in their respective lists. The Bowler School District itself ranks 408 of 432 Wisconsin districts, in the 6th percentile with 0 stars.

Academically, math is the clearest weakness. Bowler Elementary's math proficiency averaged 18.9% in 2025–2026 against 53.3% statewide, and Bowler High's 2025–2026 ACT math result was 7.41% versus 42.93% at state, with ACT science at 11.11% versus 43.20%. There are bright spots: Bowler High's 7th-grade ELA reached 77.78% versus 55.33% at state, and Bowler Elementary's 6th-grade ELA hit 61.11% in 2024–2025 versus 53.66%. Because each grade has so few students, these results can swing widely from year to year and should be read with caution. Notably, the district spends $22,830 per elementary student and $25,076 per high school student, with student-teacher ratios of 9.3 and 8.0, and free/reduced lunch rates of 77.56% and 72.46%.