Summary:
The Eau Claire Area School District in western Wisconsin contains three high schools serving 3,199 students: North High (1,567 students, grades 9–12), Memorial High (1,558 students, grades 9–12), and McKinley Charter School, a much smaller school of 74 students serving grades 6–12. The district overall ranks 225th of 432 Wisconsin districts, at the 48th percentile with 2 stars — middle of the pack statewide — but that average hides three very different schools.
Memorial High is the clear academic standout, ranking 91st percentile with 5 stars and staying in the top 10% of Wisconsin high schools for three straight years. It beats both the district and the state in every reported test subject in both years, and has the highest graduation rate (93.8%) and lowest dropout rate (0.6%) of the three. North High sits in the middle: 64th percentile, 3 stars, and an improving trend from 53rd two years earlier. Its scores are above the state in most ACT subjects but below the district average in every reported subject. McKinley Charter School lands at the 1st percentile with 0 stars, a 13.4% dropout rate, and ACT proficiency reported as 0% in English language arts, mathematics, and science.
A few points stand out for families. Chronic absenteeism is high at all three schools — 24.4% at Memorial, 27.2% at North, and 60.0% at McKinley — compared with 16.4% district and 17.3% state. Spending and class size do not track with results: North and Memorial spend nearly the same per student ($14,129 vs. $14,414) despite very different outcomes, while McKinley spends $23,776 per student with the lowest student-teacher ratio (9.2) yet posts the lowest measured outcomes. Because McKinley is very small and serves grades 6–12, its figures should be read with caution.
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