Best High Schools in Sparta, WI

Sparta, Wisconsin has two public high schools serving grades 9–12, both part of the Sparta Area School District: Sparta High and Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School. Together they enroll 927 students, with Sparta High accounting for 871 (about 94%) and the alternative school 56 (about 6%). The district is rated 360th of 432 in Wisconsin, at the 17th percentile with 1 star, but the two high schools have very different profiles.

Sparta High is the large comprehensive option and stands out most for attendance and dropout results. Its graduation rate is 96.8%, above the state's 92.0%, and its dropout rate is just 0.2% versus the state's 1.1%. Chronic absenteeism is 4.4%, less than one-third of the state's 17.3%. Its ranking improved from 15th percentile and 1 star in 2023–2024 to 32nd percentile and 2 stars in 2024–2025, holding near that level at 30th percentile and 2 stars in 2025–2026. Test scores, however, are mostly below state averages in social studies, ELA, math, and science, though slightly above its own district in every reported subject.

Sparta Alternative Independent Learning School graduates a high share of students (97.4%, above both the district and state), but other measures show real challenges: a 4.5% dropout rate, 17.1% chronic absenteeism, 0% proficiency in ELA and science and 16.67% in math, 69.64% free/reduced lunch versus 40.76% at Sparta High, $9,505 per-student spending versus $13,319, a student-teacher ratio of 27.7 versus 14.8, and a 6th percentile, 0-star ranking. Parents should note that graduation rate alone does not capture the full picture, and with only 56 students, the alternative school's percentages can swing sharply from year to year.