Summary:
Butternut, Wisconsin has just one public high school: Butternut High, a small combined middle/high school serving grades 6–12 with 92 students, part of the Butternut School District, which is ranked 353rd of 432 districts in Wisconsin (18th percentile, 1 star).
The most important story for parents is a steep drop in the school's state ranking. Butternut High was rated 4 stars and 82nd percentile in 2023–2024, then 2 stars and 34th percentile in 2024–2025, and 1 star and 14th percentile (459th of 533) in 2025–2026. Test scores follow the same pattern. In 2025–2026, middle-school math proficiency ranged from 33.33% to 40%, well below state rates of roughly 53.6% to 55.67%, and 10th-grade ACT math and science were both reported at 0% proficient, versus about 43% statewide. Reading (English Language Arts) is closer to state in grades 6–8 (50%, 50%, and 53.33%), but 10th-grade ACT ELA fell to 20% from 46.67% the year before. Social studies is uneven: 8th grade was strong in 2024–2025 (69.23% vs. 62.51% state), while 10th grade was weak (27.27% vs. 47.67%) and then rose to 50% in 2025–2026.
Other measures are more encouraging. The 91.6% graduation rate is nearly identical to Wisconsin's 92.0%, and the 1.2% dropout rate is close to the state's 1.1%. Chronic absenteeism is 16.9%, slightly better than the state's 17.3% but above the district's 12.4%. The school spends $20,027 per student with a 7.9 student-teacher ratio, and 52.17% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. With only 92 students, results in any single grade can swing widely year to year, so one-year figures — especially a small 10th-grade ACT cohort — should be read with caution.
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