Racine Unified School District

The Racine Unified School District in Wisconsin encompasses 27 schools, including 18 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 6 high schools, and 2 alternative schools, serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district faces significant challenges, with overall academic performance well below state averages, but also highlights a few standout schools that demonstrate the potential for success.

Among the district's high-performing schools is Walden III High School, which ranks 208th out of 431 Wisconsin high schools and has a 3-star rating. It outperforms the district average on test scores, with 59.09% of 10th graders proficient or better in ACT English Language Arts compared to the district average of 25.93%. Another strong performer is Gifford School, a PK-8 school that ranks 697th out of 1,044 Wisconsin elementary schools and has a 2-star rating, yet outperforms the district and state averages on many test score metrics. The RUSD Montessori magnet school also stands out, with 90.48% of 6th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts and 71.43% proficient or better in Mathematics.

However, the Racine Unified School District as a whole faces significant challenges, with a district-wide dropout rate of 1.3% and a chronic absenteeism rate of 17.7%, both of which are high compared to state averages. The district also lags significantly behind state averages on most test score metrics, particularly in Mathematics, with only 14.42% of 10th graders proficient or better in ACT Mathematics compared to 42.73% statewide. These performance gaps suggest systemic issues that need to be addressed, but the presence of high-performing schools within the district indicates that with the right approaches, significant improvements are possible.