Summary:
Marion School District in Wisconsin is a small district serving roughly 482 students across two schools: Marion Elementary, covering grades PK–6 with 255 students, and Marion High, serving grades 7–12 with 227 students, so there is no separate middle school and grades 7 and 8 are housed in the high school. The district overall is rated 1 star with a 23rd percentile rank, but that district-wide number hides two quite different schools.
Marion High is the standout. It earns 3 stars and a 52nd percentile rank and has improved steadily, moving from the 14th percentile and 1 star in 2023–2024 to the 39th percentile and 2 stars in 2024–2025. Its graduation rate is 97.1% (state: 92.0%) and its dropout rate is 0.9% (state: 1.1%). ACT English language arts has been above state in both years, at 53.33% versus 48.47% and 54.05% versus 48.62%, and ACT math was essentially level with the state at 43.33% versus 42.93%. Eighth grade social studies has also been a strength. Areas to watch include Forward Exam ELA in grades 7–8, which is well below state, and chronic absenteeism of 18.1%, slightly above the state's 17.3%.
Marion Elementary earns 2 stars and a 34th percentile rank, with results that vary sharply by grade. Fifth grade math is exceptional at 79.17% proficient versus 51.81% statewide, and 5th grade ELA and 6th grade math are also above state. Chronic absenteeism is 17.0%, slightly better than the state's 17.3%. However, 3rd grade ELA and math were both 34.29%, far below state, and 6th grade ELA was 38.71% versus 54.95%. Economic need is substantial at both schools and higher at the elementary (50.2% free or reduced lunch versus 44.49%), while per-student spending ($15,714 vs. $15,206) and student-teacher ratios (12.5 vs. 12.6) are nearly identical.
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