High Schools in Shell Lake School District

Shell Lake School District has one high school, Shell Lake Junior/Senior High, which serves grades 7–12 and enrolls about 300 students in Shell Lake, Wisconsin. The district is rated 4 stars and ranks 88 of 432 schools, placing it in the 80th percentile statewide. Because this is the only high school in the district, district-level high school figures mostly mirror the school’s results. The school’s data includes rank history, graduation and dropout rates, chronic absenteeism, Forward Exam and ACT proficiency, free/reduced lunch, per-student spending, and student-teacher ratio.

Academically, Shell Lake Junior/Senior High stands out for strong completion outcomes and above-state test performance. Its graduation rate is 97.9% versus Wisconsin’s 92.0%, and its dropout rate is 0.6% versus 1.1%. Chronic absenteeism is 12.9%, better than the state’s 17.3% but higher than the district’s 10.6%. In 2025–2026, the school outperformed the state in 9 of 10 reported proficiency metrics. Grades 7–8 ELA and math are notably strong: 8th grade ELA is 76.09 versus 54.38 statewide, and 8th grade math is 73.91 versus 53.67. ACT results also beat the state in ELA (59.18 vs. 48.47), math (46.94 vs. 42.93), and science (53.06 vs. 43.2). The clear weak spot is 10th grade social studies, at 42.22%, which is 6.03 points below the state and down 21.93 points from 64.15% the prior year.

Rank history shows some volatility: Shell Lake Junior/Senior High ranked 82 of 431 schools (81st percentile, 4 stars) in 2024–2025, then 176 of 533 (67th percentile, 3 stars) in 2025–2026. Year-over-year trends are mixed—ELA and math improved in grades 7–8, while 8th grade science and social studies and 10th grade social studies, ACT ELA, and ACT Science declined. With only 300 students in grades 7–12, grade-level swings should be interpreted cautiously. The school spends $16,862 per student with a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. For parents, the overall picture is a solidly above-average school with excellent graduation and dropout outcomes, strong ELA/math performance in grades 7–8, and above-state ACT results; the main areas to watch are 10th grade social studies and chronic absenteeism relative to the district.