Best Public Schools in Phelps, WI

Phelps, Wisconsin is a small rural community with just two public schools serving a combined 88 students in the Phelps School District: Phelps Elementary, which covers pre-kindergarten through 8th grade with 61 students, and Phelps High, serving grades 9 through 12 with 27 students. Both schools sit at the same address on Old School Rd, and there is no separate middle school — the elementary building includes the middle grades.

For parents comparing the two, academics look very different by building. Phelps Elementary shows real highlights: 6th grade ELA at 85.71% proficient and 4th grade social studies at 87.5%, both well above state rates, plus 3rd grade ELA at 66.67%. But results swing widely by grade. 8th grade ELA and math both sit at 12.5%, far below state levels near 54%, and 3rd grade math (22.22%) and 5th grade math (28.57%) also trail the state. Overall, elementary ELA is above state while math is well below. Phelps High has far less test data — only 10th grade social studies at 45.45%, slightly under the state's 48.25% — but reports a 100% graduation rate in 2023–2024 and a 0.0% dropout rate, and its chronic absenteeism (12.0%) is below the state's 17.3% though above the elementary school's 5.3%.

Spending differs sharply: Phelps High spends $47,996 per student versus $27,670 at Phelps Elementary, about 73% more, likely because fixed costs are spread across only 27 students. The Phelps School District ranks 320th of 432 districts, in the 26th percentile with 1 star, while the elementary school's recent ranks fall between the 40th and 54th percentile with 2–3 stars. Keep in mind that with cohorts this small, one or two students can move a percentage by many points.