Best Public Schools in Pepin, WI

Pepin, Wisconsin is a small community served by two public schools in the Pepin Area School District: Pepin Elementary for grades PK–5 with 115 students, and Pepin High for grades 6–12 with 110 students, for a combined enrollment of 225. The district as a whole ranks 150th of 432 Wisconsin districts, in the 65th percentile with 3 stars, while both individual schools currently earn 4 stars — up from 2 stars each in 2023–24.

Pepin Elementary is the academic standout, ranking 137th of 1,039 schools in 2025–26, the 87th percentile. Its proficiency scores beat state averages in nearly every tested subject and grade, often by wide margins — 3rd grade math 90 vs 54.75 statewide, 4th grade social studies 92.31 vs 65.51, and 4th grade ELA 84.62 vs 53.87. The exception is 4th grade science, just 0.39 points above state. Attendance is the trade-off: chronic absenteeism is 16.2%, higher than the high school's and close to the state's 17.3%. The school serves more students from lower-income households (33.91% free/reduced lunch vs 20.91%), spends more per student ($24,214 vs $20,434), and has a smaller student-teacher ratio (9.2 vs 11.4).

Pepin High shines on outcomes: a 100% graduation rate (state 92.0%), 0% dropout rate (state 1.1%), and 9.3% chronic absenteeism (state 17.3%). ACT math and science beat the state in both years shown. Results by grade are uneven, though — 7th grade is strong while 6th and 8th grades are mostly below state. Notably, the elementary's 5th grade dip in 2024–25 (18.18 ELA, 9.09 math) appears to follow that same cohort into 6th grade in 2025–26 (0 ELA, 27.27 math), suggesting a cohort-level challenge rather than school-wide weakness. With class sizes this small, a single student can shift results dramatically, so year-to-year swings should be read with caution.