Summary:
Rhinelander School District has four elementary schools — Crescent Elementary, Central Elementary, Pelican Elementary, and Northwoods Community Elementary — all serving grades PK–5 and enrolling 1,013 students combined. As a whole, the Rhinelander School District is rated 2 stars and ranks 292 of 432 in Wisconsin, but that district-wide rating hides big differences between individual schools. Two schools perform above district averages, and two fall below them.
Northwoods Community Elementary is the clear standout and the district's only 4-star elementary. With just 97 students — the smallest of the four — it ranks 304 of 1,039 in 2025-2026 (71st percentile) and posts the top ELA (64.6%), math (66.9%), and social studies (70.6%) averages in the district, with an overall average of about 64.7% versus the district's 50.0% and the state's 54.7%. It also has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (24.74%) and the smallest student-teacher ratio (9.2). Science is its comparatively weaker subject at 52.9%, just under the state. Pelican Elementary is the most improved school, climbing from the 33rd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 44th percentile in 2025-2026, with its overall average rising from 47.8% to 53.5%. It leads the district in science at 59.5% and social studies at 67.6%.
Central Elementary sits at the 31st percentile with a 2-star rating and an overall average of 47.8%, below district and state; math (51.3%) is its relative strength, while ELA (42.9%) lags. Crescent Elementary is the largest school at 384 students but the lowest performing at the 27th percentile with a 1-star rating and a 44.3% overall average, including math at 37.5%. Notably, chronic absenteeism is low at every school — all four are below the district's 12.8% and the state's 17.3% — and higher per-student spending at Central ($20,266) does not translate into higher scores, so families should weigh each school's own results rather than the district rating alone.
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