Best Public Schools in Hammond, WI

Hammond, Wisconsin is home to three schools, all part of the Saint Croix Central School District: Saint Croix Central High (grades 9–12, 486 students), Saint Croix Central Middle (grades 5–8, 476 students), and Saint Croix Virtual Academy Inc (an alternative PK–12 school with 275 students). Together they enroll 1,237 students. Because the area list shows no elementary schools, coverage here begins at grade 5 and runs through grade 12, plus the virtual option. The district as a whole ranks 205 of 432 in Wisconsin — 53rd percentile, 3 stars — placing it mid-pack statewide.

Among the three, Saint Croix Central Middle posts the strongest academics: in 2025–2026 it beat state proficiency in most tested areas, including 5th grade math at 72.73% versus 51.81% statewide and 8th grade social studies at 82.05% versus 64.63%, and it has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 9.0% and the smallest student-teacher ratio, 13.5. Saint Croix Central High shines on completion — a 96.8% graduation rate and 0.4% dropout rate — but chronic absenteeism is 20.9%, above the district's 10.3% and the state's 17.3%, and 2025–2026 math ACT proficiency, 35.05%, fell below the state's 42.93%. Saint Croix Virtual Academy Inc serves a higher-poverty population, with 38.18% free/reduced lunch — more than double the other two — the highest student-teacher ratio (28.0), and the lowest per-student spending ($9,992). Its results swing widely, from 100% in 8th grade ELA and social studies to 20% in 7th grade math, likely reflecting small grade-level cohorts, and its reported 0.0% chronic absenteeism is an outlier that may reflect different attendance definitions.

Both ranked schools declined in state percentile over three years, each down 21 points — the High from 76th to 55th, the Middle from 90th to 69th. Spending also differs: $16,189 per student at the High, $15,327 at the Middle, and $9,992 at the Virtual Academy. Parents weighing options should consider the Middle School's strong academics, the High School's completion strengths alongside its absenteeism challenge, and the Virtual Academy's flexible PK–12 setting against its higher poverty levels and volatile scores.