Summary:
Waupaca School District serves PK–12 students across four schools — two elementary, one middle, and one high — with total enrollment of 1,910, and the district is ranked 183 of 432 in Wisconsin, placing it at the 58th percentile with 3 stars.
For parents comparing options, Chain Exploration Center stands out: 4 stars and 80th percentile in 2025–26, the lowest chronic absenteeism at 2.2%, and strong test results such as 82.35% in 3rd grade math and 78.57% in 7th grade math versus the state. It is small at 139 students in PK–8, so year-to-year swings can be large. Waupaca High also has strengths: a 95.7% graduation rate, 0.6% dropout rate, and above-state scores in social studies, ELA, math, and science, though its chronic absenteeism is 14.0%.
By contrast, Waupaca Learning Center Elementary is the largest elementary, has the highest free/reduced lunch rate at 51.66%, and is ranked 35th percentile with 2 stars. Its test scores are mixed: 3rd grade ELA is 62.73% versus state 52.08%, but 4th grade is below state in ELA, math, social studies, and science. It also has the highest per-student spending ($17,352) and lowest student-teacher ratio (10.7). Waupaca Middle declined from 65th percentile to 49th percentile, with 7th grade math at 65.85% but 6th grade ELA at 45.67%; its chronic absenteeism is 11.4%. Overall, the district has a high-performing outlier, a high school with strong completion metrics, and two larger schools with more mixed results.
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