Summary:
Westby Area School District is a small, rural district in Vernon County, Wisconsin, serving 993 students across four schools: Westby High (grades 9–12), Westby Middle (5–8), Westby Elementary (PK–4), and Coon Valley Elementary (PK–4). The district ranks 136th of 432 Wisconsin districts — 69th percentile, 3 stars — but that single rating hides a wide spread between its individual schools.
Coon Valley Elementary is the breakout story: it rose from the 23rd percentile in 2023-24 to the 91st percentile in 2025-26 with a 5-star rating, and in 2025-26 posted the district's highest proficiency in all six tested grade and subject areas. Westby Middle is the steady engine, holding at 66th–68th percentile for three straight years with a particularly strong 8th grade. Westby High produces excellent completion outcomes — a 97.2% graduation rate and 0.0% dropout — but has the district's highest chronic absenteeism at 21.0%, above the state's 17.3%. Westby Elementary is the outlier for attention: the district's only 2-star school, below the district average in all six 2025-26 tested cells and below the state in three, though its 4th grade ELA at 72.34% is a clear bright spot.
A few patterns matter most for parents. The two elementaries were nearly identical in 2024-25 and then diverged sharply a year later, with Coon Valley Elementary moving on every measure. Reading and math are heading in opposite directions within the same groups of students, and an upper-elementary math dip shows up at two schools. Spending does not explain results: Coon Valley Elementary spends the most per pupil ($16,265) with the smallest classes, while Westby Elementary spends nearly as much with the district's weakest scores. Because Coon Valley is small, its gains rest on a handful of students.
Thank you for your feedback!