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Best Public Schools in Columbia County, WI

New rankings! Wisconsin test scores for the 2025-26 school year were just released — SchoolDigger posted updated rankings this week.

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At a glance

Schools

8,932

Students

Districts

5-star school

Top rankedLodi High38^th of 533 Wisconsin high schools

▲

Biggest riser

Cambria Friesland Elementary up 211 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Rio Middle/High 9.2 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

5 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

See the top-ranked Wisconsin schools →

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (2026)	Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)						Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)						Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)			Forward Exam Science (2026)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ACT English Language Arts 10th Grade	ACT Mathematics 10th Grade	ACT Science 10th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 10th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
DOC: Columbia Correctional Institution	Public	11-12	2925 Columbia Dr	Portage	53901	Columbia County	Wisconsin Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(608) 742-9100	6	3	2.0		1 (16.7%)	5 (83.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Cambria Friesland Middle/High	Public	6-12	410 E Edgewater St	Cambria	53923	Columbia County	Cambria-Friesland School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 348-5548	163	16	10.3	33.1%	128 (78.5%)	6 (3.7%)	26 (16.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.8%)	62.4	204^th of 533 public high schools	61.7%		57.5	183^rd of 431 public high schools	57.5%	21	47.4	47.4	47.4				41.7	33.3	50.0				45.8	33.3	58.3		75.0	52.4		66.7	$20,724	$579	$20,145
Cambria Friesland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	410 E Edgewater St	Cambria	53923	Columbia County	Cambria-Friesland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 348-5548	165	14	12.2	25.5%	123 (74.5%)	3 (1.8%)	34 (20.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	78.8	179^th of 1039 public elementary schools	82.8%		64.7	390^th of 1044 public elementary schools	62.6%	211				63.6	83.3	64.0				68.2	83.3	60.0				83.3			91.7		$19,498	$1,051	$18,446
Columbus High	Public	9-12	1164 Farnham St	Columbus	53925	Columbia County	Columbus School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 623-5950	383	30	12.6	21.4%	329 (85.9%)	6 (1.6%)	34 (8.9%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.3%)	57.4	237^th of 533 public high schools	55.5%		66.3	127^th of 431 public high schools	70.5%	110	53.6	33.3	42.9															54.0			$16,589	$378	$16,210
Columbus Middle	Public	6-8	400 S Dickason Blvd	Columbus	53925	Columbia County	Columbus School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 623-5950	241	18	13.1	32.8%	193 (80.1%)	4 (1.7%)	29 (12.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.8%)	68.3	191^st of 643 public middle schools	70.3%		72.2	153^rd of 628 public middle schools	75.6%	38							67.1	72.4	49.2				69.9	71.1	60.7		60.7			54.1	$15,023	$437	$14,586
Columbus Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Fuller St	Columbus	53925	Columbia County	Columbus School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 623-5950	425	34	12.3	34.8%	348 (81.9%)	8 (1.9%)	43 (10.1%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)	56.5	507^th of 1039 public elementary schools	51.2%		52.8	555^th of 1044 public elementary schools	46.8%	48				35.1	59.7	50.7				43.9	59.7	60.3				73.1			64.2		$14,390	$504	$13,886
Discovery Charter School	Public, Charter	K-3	200 Fuller St	Columbus	53925	Columbia County	Columbus School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 623-5950	71	6	12.0	23.9%	58 (81.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.6%)								(n/a)				44.4						55.6											$15,263	$331	$14,931
Fall River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	150 Bradley St	Fall River	53932	Columbia County	Fall River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 484-3333	231	19	12.0	29.4%	195 (84.4%)	3 (1.3%)	17 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.1%)	81.5	134^th of 1039 public elementary schools	87.1%		79	177^th of 1044 public elementary schools	83.0%	43				80.0	76.7	66.7				73.3	66.7	66.7				76.7			76.7		$16,583	$857	$15,726
Fall River High	Public	6-12	150 Bradley St	Fall River	53932	Columbia County	Fall River School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 484-3333	253	20	12.4	27.3%	216 (85.4%)	3 (1.2%)	21 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (4.0%)	66.8	168^th of 533 public high schools	68.5%		88.9	32^nd of 431 public high schools	92.6%	136	59.5	50.0	54.8				55.3	62.1	68.6				65.8	44.8	40.0		62.9	39.5		54.3	$17,460	$204	$17,256
Lodi Primary	Public	PK, KG-2	1307 Sauk St	Lodi	53555	Columbia County	Lodi School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 592-3855	385	22	17.7	10.1%	357 (92.7%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (4.4%)	5 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)								(n/a)																					$13,326	$422	$12,904
Lodi Elementary	Public	3-5	101 School St	Lodi	53555	Columbia County	Lodi School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 592-3842	234	18	12.8	12.8%	219 (93.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.0%)	7 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	69.8	315^th of 1039 public elementary schools	69.7%		69.3	330^th of 1044 public elementary schools	68.4%	15				54.4	47.6	68.9				78.5	67.1	68.9				78.1			58.5		$17,147	$1,151	$15,996
Lodi High	Public	9-12	1100 Sauk St	Lodi	53555	Columbia County	Lodi School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 592-3853	444	37	12.1	14.9%	400 (90.1%)	2 (0.5%)	28 (6.3%)	5 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.8%)	87.7	38^th of 533 public high schools	92.9%		81.8	53^rd of 431 public high schools	87.7%	15	67.7	68.8	57.0															67.3			$18,276	$224	$18,052
Lodi Middle	Public	6-8	900 Sauk St	Lodi	53555	Columbia County	Lodi School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 592-3854	324	28	11.6	17.9%	288 (88.9%)	4 (1.2%)	11 (3.4%)	7 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.3%)	77	118^th of 643 public middle schools	81.6%		78.4	100^th of 628 public middle schools	84.1%	18							73.2	71.6	65.4				75.0	70.6	59.4		78.2			57.4	$16,426	$341	$16,085
Ouisconsing School of Collaboration	Public, Charter	3-5	101 School St	Lodi	53555	Columbia County	Lodi School District	Yes	No	No	No	(608) 592-3842	74	6	12.5	27.0%	62 (83.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	5 (6.8%)	76.2	225^th of 1039 public elementary schools	78.3%		62.3	426^th of 1044 public elementary schools	59.2%	201				70.4	63.6	62.5				59.3	77.3	58.3				86.4			77.3		$10,182	$171	$10,011
Pardeeville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	503 E Chestnut St	Pardeeville	53954	Columbia County	Pardeeville Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 429-2151	331	25	13.2	39.6%	305 (92.1%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.9%)	43.9	673^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	35.2%		57.2	497^th of 1044 public elementary schools	52.4%	176				42.9	49.2					28.6	38.1					68.3			65.1		$15,032	$1,042	$13,990
Pardeeville High	Public	9-12	120 Oak St	Pardeeville	53954	Columbia County	Pardeeville Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 429-2153	284	21	13.7	32.7%	266 (93.7%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.5%)	62	208^th of 533 public high schools	61.0%		39.2	290^th of 431 public high schools	32.7%	82	51.7	40.0	46.7															55.0			$15,431	$232	$15,199
Pardeeville Middle	Public	5-8	120 Oak St	Pardeeville	53954	Columbia County	Pardeeville Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 429-2153	248	14	17.2	35.5%	235 (94.8%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.0%)	75.2	133^rd of 643 public middle schools	79.3%		58.4	275^th of 628 public middle schools	56.2%	142						48.3	73.3	62.7	57.1			37.9	68.9	62.7	69.4		83.7			69.4	$12,649	$236	$12,413
Portage Academy of Achievement	Public	9-12	2505 New Pinery Rd	Portage	53901	Columbia County	Portage Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 742-2165	24	1	24.0	12.5%	21 (87.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (4.2%)								(n/a)																					$13,005	$383	$12,622
Lewiston Elementary	Public	K-5	W11195 State Road 127	Portage	53901	Columbia County	Portage Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 742-2524	84	7	12.6	26.2%	78 (92.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.6%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.4%)	68.6	335^th of 1039 public elementary schools	67.8%		55.1	528^th of 1044 public elementary schools	49.4%	193				75.0	50.0	66.7				100.0	68.8	75.0				62.5			50.0		$13,706	$383	$13,324
Wayne Bartels Middle	Public	6-8	2505 New Pinery Rd	Portage	53901	Columbia County	Portage Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 742-2165	422	32	13.3	40.0%	329 (78.0%)	6 (1.4%)	54 (12.8%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.4%)	46.5	382^nd of 643 public middle schools	40.6%		47.1	370^th of 628 public middle schools	41.1%	12							40.8	47.1	54.2				50.0	51.2	55.1		63.6			46.6	$15,813	$383	$15,431
Portage High	Public	9-12	301 E Collins St	Portage	53901	Columbia County	Portage Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 742-8545	600	44	13.5	30.5%	496 (82.7%)	7 (1.2%)	60 (10.0%)	8 (1.3%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (3.8%)	50.3	291^st of 533 public high schools	45.4%		49.2	226^th of 431 public high schools	47.6%	65	46.0	38.1	42.5															44.4			$16,973	$1,140	$15,833
Muir Elementary	Public	2-5	2600 Woodcrest Dr	Portage	53901	Columbia County	Portage Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 742-5531	439	41	10.6	47.6%	338 (77.0%)	12 (2.7%)	56 (12.8%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.2%)	40.1	721^st of 1039 public elementary schools	30.6%		36.3	757^th of 1044 public elementary schools	27.5%	36				39.4	40.4	43.3				46.8	47.7	60.8				57.8			44.0		$17,074	$383	$16,691
Woodridge Elementary	Public	K-1	333 E Slifer St	Portage	53901	Columbia County	Portage Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 742-3494	201	17	11.9	46.8%	144 (71.6%)	7 (3.5%)	34 (16.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.5%)								(n/a)																					$18,476	$383	$18,094
Poynette Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	225 W North St	Poynette	53955	Columbia County	Poynette School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 635-4347	416	33	12.8	22.6%	384 (92.3%)	2 (0.5%)	11 (2.6%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.4%)	78.1	193^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	81.4%		81.2	141^st of 1044 public elementary schools	86.5%	52				73.3	65.7					75.0	80.0					75.7			61.4		$14,697	$417	$14,280
Poynette High	Public	9-12	108 N Cleveland St	Poynette	53955	Columbia County	Poynette School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 635-4347	296	23	12.6	19.9%	271 (91.6%)	2 (0.7%)	11 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	65.7	177^th of 533 public high schools	66.8%		81.9	52^nd of 431 public high schools	87.9%	125	60.7	53.6	48.2															43.5			$17,157	$665	$16,492
Poynette Middle	Public	5-8	108 N Cleveland St	Poynette	53955	Columbia County	Poynette School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 635-4347	271	26	10.3	21.4%	245 (90.4%)	3 (1.1%)	12 (4.4%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	73.9	147^th of 643 public middle schools	77.1%		76.6	115^th of 628 public middle schools	81.7%	32						75.7	65.2	66.7	66.7			70.3	71.2	55.6	69.0		69.4			69.4	$16,507	$74	$16,434
Rio Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	355 Lowville Rd	Rio	53960	Columbia County	Rio Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 992-3143	169	14	11.7	37.3%	159 (94.1%)	1 (0.6%)	7 (4.1%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	50.5	586^th of 1039 public elementary schools	43.6%		64.9	389^th of 1044 public elementary schools	62.7%	197				28.0	57.9	53.6				48.0	36.8	53.6				79.0			68.4		$19,354	$1,186	$18,168
Rio Middle/High	Public	6-12	411 Church St	Rio	53960	Columbia County	Rio Community School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 992-3141	183	20	9.2	37.2%	167 (91.3%)	1 (0.5%)	6 (3.3%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.4%)	35.2	375^th of 533 public high schools	29.6%		65.5	130^th of 431 public high schools	69.8%	245	28.0	40.0	32.0				55.2	68.0	55.6				44.8	56.0	40.7		74.1	40.0		55.6	$20,482	$766	$19,716
Wisconsin Dells High	Public	9-12	1505 Brew Farm Rd	Wisconsin Dells	53965	Columbia County	Wisconsin Dells School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 253-1461	563	39	14.5	54.9%	370 (65.7%)	11 (2.0%)	128 (22.7%)	3 (0.5%)	29 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.9%)	49.5	297^th of 533 public high schools	44.3%		38.8	293^rd of 431 public high schools	32.0%	4	47.9	36.8	41.0															44.1			$15,050	$00	$15,050
Spring Hill Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 Vine St	Wisconsin Dells	53965	Columbia County	Wisconsin Dells School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 253-2468	628	53	11.8	60.2%	418 (66.6%)	8 (1.3%)	130 (20.7%)	9 (1.4%)	20 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (6.8%)	55.6	523^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	49.7%		45.6	648^th of 1044 public elementary schools	37.9%	125				52.4	60.5	50.0				53.0	60.5	53.1				64.0			52.6		$15,300	$00	$15,300
Wisconsin Dells Middle School	Public	6-8	520 Race St	Wisconsin Dells	53965	Columbia County	Wisconsin Dells School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 253-2467	374	25	14.7	58.3%	250 (66.8%)	15 (4.0%)	82 (21.9%)	1 (0.3%)	15 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.9%)	61.8	242^nd of 643 public middle schools	62.4%		61.1	252^nd of 628 public middle schools	59.9%	10							53.5	56.4	64.9				43.1	61.7	74.6		69.9			56.6	$15,148	$00	$15,148

SchoolDigger rankings lists for Wisconsin:

Elementary Schools Middle Schools High Schools Districts Cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.