Butternut Elementary

Butternut Elementary is a small PK–5 school in Butternut, Wisconsin, serving 84 students in the Butternut School District. Its district is ranked 353rd of 432 Wisconsin districts (18th percentile, 1 star), but the school itself ranks 456th of 1,039 schools (56th percentile, 3 stars) for 2025–26 — a school performing near the state middle even though its district rating sits well below average. Butternut's recent history shows a peak and a cooldown: it was a 4-star school in 2022–23 and 2023–24 (80th percentile in 2023–24), then slipped to 3 stars in the past two years.

Attendance is a clear strength. Chronic absenteeism fell from 32.3% in 2020–21 to 6.9% in 2024–25 — less than half the state rate of 17.3% and lower than both Glidden Elementary (9.1%) and Park Falls Elementary (9.8%). Academically, English language arts is strong: Butternut's ELA proficiency is above the state in grades 3, 4, and 5, and its 4th-grade social studies score (81.82%) tops Park Falls (68.18%) and the state (65.51%). The school also spends $20,238 per student and has a student-teacher ratio of 7.8, much lower than Park Falls' 12.8 and matching Glidden's.

Math and science are more uneven. Third-grade math (37.5%), fifth-grade math (42.86%), and fourth-grade science (45.45%) all fall below state levels, while Park Falls is more consistent across those subjects. Subgroup results show wide gaps: male students ranked in the 73rd percentile (4 stars) in 2024–25, while female students were at the 22nd percentile (1 star), and low-socioeconomic-status students dropped from the 99th percentile in 2023–24 to the 50th in 2024–25. With only 84 students, a student or two can shift results sharply, so single-year changes should be read with caution. Overall, Butternut Elementary is a small school with standout attendance and strong ELA and social studies results, but it is working to steady math and science and narrow subgroup gaps.