North High

North High is the largest traditional high school in the Appleton Area School District, serving 1,635 students in grades 9–12 on a north-side campus at 5000 N Ballard Rd. It is also the only Appleton high school to earn three stars in 2025-26, ranking in the 60th percentile of Wisconsin high schools, even though its own district rates just two stars.

Among the district's traditional high schools, North is clearly first: East High ranks in the 34th percentile, West High in the 24th, and Appleton Technical Academy in the 17th. Tenth-grade proficiency shows the same pattern. North's English language arts proficiency (55.87%) and science proficiency (50.65%) both beat the district and the state, while math (42.82%) sits essentially at the state line. Social studies is the exception: at 43.39% North beats the district but trails the state by almost five points. Graduation is healthy and improving, reaching 91.4% in 2024-25 — matching the district and just under the state — with a dropout rate of 1.3%.

The clearest concerns are attendance and gaps between student groups. Chronic absenteeism has risen two years running, from 21.0% to 22.5%, roughly five points above the state. Low-income students (23rd percentile) and English language learners (21st) rank in the bottom quarter of the state, well below how North serves its other students. Social studies also dropped sharply, from 50.9% proficient in 2024-25 to 43.4%. Over a decade North has slid from the 83rd percentile to the 60th — a steady decline, not a sudden fall. For comparison, Kimberly High, similar in size with lower poverty and lower per-student spending, ranks in the 90th percentile with five stars.