Best Public Schools in Lake Mills, WI

Lake Mills, Wisconsin is served by three public schools in the Lake Mills Area School District: Lake Mills Elementary (PK–4, 613 students), Lake Mills Middle (5–8, 413 students), and Lake Mills High (9–12, 447 students), for a total of 1,473 students. There are no alternative schools in the data set. The district overall ranks 110 of 432 in Wisconsin, at the 75th percentile with 4 stars.

Lake Mills High is the clear standout and the district's academic anchor. It is the only 5-star school, ranked 51 of 533 Wisconsin high schools at the 90th percentile, up from 67th and 84th in the two prior years. It posts a 98.3% graduation rate versus 92.0% statewide, a 0.0% dropout rate, and ACT proficiency more than 20 points above state averages in ELA, Mathematics, and Science. Its chronic absenteeism of 10.2% is the highest in the district but still well below the state's 17.3%.

Lake Mills Elementary is a solid 3-star school at the 69th percentile, with 4th-grade Mathematics at 70.34% and Social Studies at 77.12%, both far above state averages, plus the lowest chronic absenteeism in the group at 5.5%. Lake Mills Middle is the weakest link in the latest year, slipping from the 72nd to the 57th percentile, with 8th-grade ELA, Mathematics, and Social Studies below state averages, though 6th- and 7th-grade ELA and 7th-grade Mathematics are strengths. Notably, spending and staffing do not map neatly onto outcomes: the high school spends the most per student, while the middle school has the lowest student-teacher ratio.