Red Creek Elementary

Red Creek Elementary serves 436 students in grades 2–5 in Black River Falls, a small city in western Wisconsin. It is the tested upper-elementary campus of the Black River Falls School District and the district's only elementary school that reports state test scores, so the school's results and the district's results are the same. Statewide, Red Creek Elementary ranked 816th of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools in 2025–2026 (21st percentile, 1 star); the district placed 404th of 432. The school has earned 1 star in all nine years on record, with percentiles never above 28 and never below 19 — a steady plateau, not a decline or one weak year.

That plateau shows in the test data. On the 2025–2026 Forward Exam, Red Creek Elementary trailed the state in every subject and grade. Gaps were narrowest in 4th-grade social studies (57.55% proficient versus 65.51%, about 8 points) and widest in math, where 4th grade was near 33% and 5th grade 31.75% — roughly 20 points below the state in both, and both weaker than a few years ago. Special education students fell from the 44th to the 24th percentile across three years, and low-income students have stayed at 1 star.

Attendance is where Red Creek Elementary separates most from nearby schools. Chronic absenteeism was 21.2% in 2024–25 — better than its own district (25.5%) but worse than the state (17.3%) and far above Lincoln Elementary (10.7%), Blair-Taylor Elementary (9.1%) and Melrose-Mindoro Elementary (2.3%). Money and class size don't appear to be the constraint: Red Creek Elementary spends $15,985 per student with a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio, smaller classes than every peer school, yet ranks below Lincoln Elementary. Its PK–1 feeder, Forrest Street Elementary School, reports even higher absenteeism (27.3%). For parents, the two areas worth asking about are upper-elementary math instruction and attendance support.