Summary
Birchwood High is a small public high school in the Birchwood, WI area, serving grades 9–12 with 59 students in the Birchwood School District. Its standout feature is how far it outpaces its own district: in 2025–2026, Birchwood High ranked 44th of 533 Wisconsin high schools (92nd percentile, 5 stars), while the district ranked 270th of 432 (38th percentile, 2 stars). The school has climbed sharply, from the 20th percentile in 2015–2016 and mid-table ranks through 2023–2024 into the top 10% of the state in the last two years. With only 59 students, results can swing widely from year to year.
Test scores are strong. In 2025–2026 10th-grade assessments, Birchwood led nearby comparison schools — Cameron High, Bruce High, Shell Lake Junior/Senior High, and Rice Lake High — in social studies, English language arts, math, and science. Science was especially strong at 71.43% proficient, versus 53.06% at Shell Lake and 26.56% at Cameron. In subgroup results, male students ranked in the 95th percentile statewide while female students ranked 68th — both above average, but a notable gap worth watching.
Birchwood spends $30,363 per student (2024–2025), roughly double the other nearby high schools, with a very low 6.6 student–teacher ratio. Chronic absenteeism improved from 34.0% in 2022–2023 to 12.5%, better than the state's 17.3%. Completion is more mixed: a 91.6% graduation rate sits just below the state and below several nearby districts, and the dropout rate rose to 3.3%. Bottom line: Birchwood High delivers top-decile academics with very small classes, improved attendance, and an unusually expensive model; the watch items are the male–female gap, dropout rate, and small-cohort volatility.
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