De Soto Area School District

The De Soto Area School District is a small rural district in southwestern Wisconsin serving roughly 440 students across five schools: two elementary schools (PK–5), one middle school (6–8), one high school (9–12), and one very small K–12 alternative virtual school. The district as a whole is ranked 297th of 432 in Wisconsin, at the 31st percentile with 2 stars, and its overall chronic absenteeism rate of 9.9% is better than the state's 17.3%.

Among the individual schools, De Soto Middle is the standout. It is the only school at 3 stars, and its rank has climbed from the 40th to the 51st to the 63rd percentile over three years, with strong 2025-2026 results in 6th grade math (70.0%) and 8th grade science (67.65%), plus low chronic absenteeism of 4.9%. Stoddard Elementary has the district's best attendance (4.5%) and lowest poverty indicator (23.81% FRPL), and bright spots like 5th grade ELA at 70.59%, though its 3rd grade math sits at 29.41% and its rank slipped to 2 stars. De Soto High posts excellent completion numbers — a 97.1% graduation rate and a 0.0% dropout rate — but its chronic absenteeism (19.7%) exceeds the state's, and ELA (41.94%) and social studies (41.67%) proficiency trail the state.

Prairie View Elementary is the clearest academic challenge, at 1 star and the 19th percentile, with 4th grade math at 18.18% and 5th grade ELA at 30.0%, despite enrollment and spending similar to Stoddard's. Spending does not track outcomes neatly: De Soto High spends the most per student ($22,607) while De Soto Middle spends the least ($13,384) yet ranks highest. De Soto Virtual School, with just 9 students, a 180:1 ratio, and $7,040 per pupil, should be viewed separately; its dropout rate of 6.2% suggests a higher-need alternative population.