Summary:
Port Wing, Wisconsin is a small city served by two public schools in the South Shore School District: South Shore Elementary for grades PK–6 with 102 students, and South Shore Junior/Senior High for grades 7–12 with 91 students, together enrolling 193 students in a high-poverty but well-resourced rural district.
Both schools earned 4 stars in 2025–2026, and the district ranks 94th of 432 Wisconsin districts, in the 78th percentile. The elementary school ranks 151st of 1,039 schools (85th percentile), up from 170th and 276th in the two prior years, with standout results in 4th Grade Science (100% proficient vs. state 53.46%), 4th Grade Social Studies (93.33% vs. 65.51%), 4th Grade Mathematics (86.67%) and 4th Grade ELA (80%). The junior/senior high ranks 74th of 533 (86th percentile), a big jump from the 62nd percentile, powered largely by 10th grade ACT scores: ACT ELA 70% vs. state 48.47%, ACT Mathematics 60% vs. 42.93%, and ACT Science 70% vs. 43.2%. Even so, several of its Forward Exam results came in below state, including 7th Grade ELA (44.44%), 8th Grade Mathematics (44.44%) and 10th Grade Social Studies (45.45%).
The two schools differ most on attendance. Elementary chronic absenteeism is 23.8%, above both the district's 18.4% and the state's 17.3%, making it the clearest warning sign. The junior/senior high's chronic absenteeism is 12.4%, well below both benchmarks. Its graduation rate is 91.3%, near the state's 92.0%, though its dropout rate of 2.1% is about double the state's 1.1%. Families should also note the favorable inputs: per-pupil spending of $23,215 and $24,569, and student-teacher ratios of 9.9 and 9.4. Because cohorts are small, year-to-year percentage swings should be read with caution.
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