Best Public Schools in Sheboygan, WI

Sheboygan, Wisconsin has 23 schools serving elementary through high school students in the Sheboygan Area School District, a lakeside city district with 8,645 students across 13 elementary, 5 middle, and 5 high schools. The district is rated 343 of 432 districts in Wisconsin—21st percentile, 1 star—but that single rating hides big differences between schools. The largest are North High (1,482 students) and South High (1,075), while the smallest include George D Warriner Middle (43), Etude High (77), and Etude Middle (77).

For parents comparing options, the strongest standouts are Etude High, ranked 67 of 533 high schools (87th percentile, 4 stars) with high ACT proficiency despite high chronic absenteeism; Lincoln-Erdman Elementary, consistently in the 73rd–79th percentile with very low chronic absenteeism (4.8%); and Etude Elementary, also 73rd percentile with strong ELA, math, and science. Lake Country Academy - Charter has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (37.58%) and strong social studies and science. Among larger high schools, North High is the strongest comprehensive option, with ACT math above the state average, while Wilson Elementary and Jackson Elementary show notable math, social studies, and science strengths.

Challenges are concentrated but serious. Central High is the clearest outlier: 2nd percentile, 0 stars, 0% social studies proficiency, 70.6% graduation, 11.0% dropout, and 76.3% chronic absenteeism. Jefferson Elementary, Longfellow Elementary, Sheridan Elementary, and Cooper Elementary also rank in the bottom 15% of elementary schools, often with very high free/reduced lunch rates. Farnsworth Middle is the lowest-ranked middle school at 20th percentile; no Sheboygan middle school reaches the state’s top half. South High has strong graduation (91.3%) and low dropout (0.9%) but below-state test scores and high absenteeism (34.5%). Citywide chronic absenteeism averages about 21.6%, above Wisconsin’s 17.3%, and spending is not a simple predictor: the highest-spending elementary schools rank low, while Etude Elementary performs well with low spending. Some schools are improving, including Grant Elementary and Etude High, while Wilson Elementary and Lake Country Academy - Charter have slipped recently.