Summary:
The Rice Lake Area School District serves about 2,075 students across five schools: three elementary schools (grades PK–4), one middle school (5–8), and one high school (9–12), with no alternative school listed. Enrollment is concentrated at the secondary level — the high school and middle school together hold roughly 62.5% of students. The district overall is rated 2 stars and 46th percentile in Wisconsin, but that rating masks a split picture: four of the five schools show 3-star rank histories, while one shows 1 star.
Haugen Elementary is the smallest school, with 83 students, yet posts the district's highest current rank percentile — 69th percentile, 3 stars — with standout results including 100% proficient in 3rd grade math, 80% in 4th grade ELA, and 73.33% in 4th grade social studies. Because of its tiny size, its results swing sharply from year to year. Hilltop Elementary is the most consistent: in 2025–26, all six reported elementary test areas were above both district and state averages, and it has the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at 6.8%. Rice Lake Middle is stable at 57th percentile, 3 stars, with real math strength — all four tested grades above state in math.
The two largest schools face bigger challenges. Tainter Elementary, the largest elementary with 445 students, is rated 1 star and 25th percentile, and in 2025–26 all six reported test areas fell below both district and state averages. It also has the highest free/reduced-lunch rate, 56.4%, and the highest per-student spending, $18,116 — showing spending alone does not explain outcomes. Rice Lake High has excellent completion metrics — 98.3% graduation and 0.1% dropout — but mixed ACT results and the highest chronic absenteeism in the district at 20.6%. Across the district, absenteeism generally tracks with outcomes.
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