Summary:
Wisconsin Rapids is home to seven elementary schools, all part of the Wisconsin Rapids School District, serving roughly 1,811 students combined. Most serve prekindergarten or kindergarten through 5th grade, while Central Oaks Academy serves PK–8. School sizes range from just 88 students at Central Oaks to 354 at Woodside Elementary. The district overall ranks 316th of 432 districts in Wisconsin — the 27th percentile with a 1-star rating — but the individual schools differ dramatically from one another.
Grant Elementary is the clear standout: 195th of 1,039 schools, the 81st percentile with 4 stars, up steadily from the 58th percentile three years ago. It has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (26.59%), low chronic absenteeism (7.1%), and strong scores across ELA, math, social studies and science. Washington Elementary (66th percentile, 3 stars) has the lowest absenteeism at 6.4% and particularly strong math, while Howe Elementary (56th percentile) performs well in math, science and social studies. Woodside Elementary is a puzzle — good attendance (7.1%) and a relatively low poverty rate (40.4%) but only the 34th percentile.
At the other end, Mead Elementary (29th percentile), Grove Elementary (26th percentile) and Central Oaks Academy (23rd percentile) all hold 1-star ratings. Mead and Grove have the highest poverty rates along with the highest per-student spending ($19,658 and $19,866) and the smallest classes — showing that money and class size alone don't guarantee results. Central Oaks also reports an 8.5% dropout rate, far above the 1.1% for both district and state, though its small size means a few students could drive that figure.
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