Summary:
The Waukesha School District includes 25 schools — 14 elementary, 3 middle, and 8 high schools, though the "high" group also includes virtual, alternative, and transition programs — serving roughly 10,750 students in total. The district ranks 184 out of 432 in Wisconsin, at the 57th percentile with 3 stars. Its graduation rate of 92.6% and dropout rate of 0.7% are both better than the state benchmarks of 92.0% and 1.1%, and chronic absenteeism of 14.9% is below the state's 17.3%. About 38% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Performance varies widely between schools. Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy is the standout, ranking in the 99th percentile for three straight years with 100% graduation, 0.0% dropout, and 0.0% chronic absenteeism. Strong elementary and middle schools include Meadowbrook Elementary, Hillcrest Elementary, Rose Glen Elementary, Waukesha STEM Academy, White Rock School, and Les Paul Middle. Among comprehensive high schools, West High is strongest, with 96.4% graduation and 0.0% dropout.
At the other end, Hawthorne Elementary, Hadfield Elementary, Heyer Elementary, Lowell Elementary, and Horning Middle post lower test scores alongside higher poverty and absenteeism rates. South High is consistently low across three years and has 30.8% chronic absenteeism, while eAchieve Academy graduates 82.4% of students. The clearest pattern is that low absenteeism and lower poverty line up with much higher achievement, while higher spending and smaller classes alone do not guarantee better results.
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