Columbus School District

Columbus School District in Wisconsin serves about 1,120 students across four schools: two elementary schools (grades PK–5 and K–3), one middle school (6–8), and one high school (9–12). The district is ranked 196 of 432 Wisconsin districts — a 3-star rating at the 55th percentile — but that average masks wide variation among its schools.

Columbus Middle is the academic anchor, ranked 191 of 643 schools at the 70th percentile with 4 stars; its 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade math scores are all above state, as are its 6th- and 7th-grade ELA results. Columbus High shows a split profile: a 97.8% graduation rate and 0.2% dropout rate beat state, and ACT ELA and social studies are above state, but 2025–26 ACT math fell more than 15 points year over year and now sits nearly 10 points below state, dropping the school from 4 stars to 3. Columbus Elementary has the lowest chronic absenteeism at 4.2% and strong 4th-grade science, social studies, and math plus 5th-grade math, while its 3rd-grade ELA and math lag state. Discovery Charter School, a 71-student K–3 school, posted exceptional 2024–25 grade-3 results that fell sharply in 2025–26 — swings to read cautiously given the tiny cohort.

Three things stand out for parents. Attendance is a district-wide strength: every school is below the state's 17.3% chronic absenteeism rate, from 4.2% at Columbus Elementary to 14.9% at Columbus High. Spending and poverty don't map neatly onto outcomes — Columbus High spends the most per student ($16,589) with the lowest FRPL rate (21.41%), yet its ACT math is below state, while Columbus Middle spends less with a higher student-teacher ratio (13.1) but stronger math. Finally, subject-level detail matters more than an overall rating: the middle school is strong in math but weaker in 8th-grade ELA and social studies, the high school is strong in humanities but weak in math, and the elementary school is strong in upper-grade science and math but weak in 3rd-grade reading and math.