Appleton Area School District

The Appleton Area School District serves about 14,234 students across 36 schools — 20 elementary schools, 5 middle schools, 9 high schools, and 2 alternative schools — in Appleton, Wisconsin, with enrollment ranging from 23 students at The Omolade Academy to 1,635 at North High. The district is rated 253rd of 432 in the state (41st percentile, 2 stars), with a graduation rate of 91.4% versus the state's 92.0%, a dropout rate of 0.9% versus 1.1%, and chronic absenteeism of 15.7% versus 17.3%.

Top performers are concentrated in choice, charter, and magnet-style programs. Odyssey-Magellan ranks #2 of 643 statewide (100th percentile, 5 stars). Tesla Engineering Charter School, Renaissance School, and Fox Cities Leadership Academy all report 100% graduation, while Classical School and Fox River Academy lead the elementary and K–8 group. The traditional comprehensive high schools rank lower — North High at the 60th percentile, East High at the 34th, and West High at the 24th. Schools on the watch list include Badger Elementary, Highlands Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Wilson Middle, and Appleton Technical Academy, which land between the 17th and 25th percentile.

District-wide, students are stronger in ELA and social studies than in math and science, where Appleton trails the state at nearly every grade level. Chronic absenteeism varies widely, from 1.9% at Odyssey-Magellan to 34.4% at Valley New School. Higher per-student spending does not consistently track with higher achievement, and small schools such as The Omolade Academy produce volatile percentages. Trends are mixed: Classical School, East High, and Einstein Middle improved their rankings, while Huntley Elementary fell from the 73rd to the 34th percentile.