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Darlington High

Q: Is Darlington High a good school?

Darlington High ranks 94 th of 533 Wisconsin high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

94^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 533 Wisconsin High Schools

Better than 82% of Wisconsin high schools

Summary

Darlington High is a four-year public high school serving about 263 students in grades 9–12 in Darlington, a rural community in Lafayette County roughly 45 minutes southwest of Madison, and it is the only high school in the Darlington Community School District. It currently ranks 94th of 533 Wisconsin high schools — the 82nd percentile, or 4 stars — which is well above where its own district sits overall (61st percentile, 3 stars). In plain terms, the high school is the strongest-performing part of its own system.

Two numbers stand out most for families. First, chronic absenteeism is 0.8%, compared with 17.3% statewide — roughly 20 times lower than the state rate and lower than every nearby school, including Shullsburg High (21.2%) and Platteville High (15.9%). Second, the graduation rate is 96.8% versus 92.0% statewide, with a 0.0% dropout rate. Test scores are strong across the board: 63.79% of 10th graders were proficient in English language arts (state: 48.47%), 55.17% in math (state: 42.93%), 51.72% in science (state: 43.20%), and 55.17% in social studies (state: 48.25%).

What makes this school unusual is how quickly it improved. Two years ago it ranked in the 34th percentile; today it is at the 82nd — the largest jump among its nearby peers. Just as notable, students from low-income families (about 41% of enrollment) rank at the 87th percentile, above the school's own overall average. That is the opposite of the typical pattern, and it separates Darlington from Shullsburg High, which serves a similar population with similar per-student spending but ranks in the 43rd percentile. Two areas to watch: social studies is the only subject trending down (60.32% → 57.14% → 55.17%), and male students (68th percentile) trail female students (91st).

263

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,270

Per pupil spending ?

41.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

11838 Center Hill Rd
Darlington, WI 53530-9605

(608) 776-4001

District: Darlington Community School District

Feeder schools for Darlington High:

Elementary:

Darlington Elementary/Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.2%

Hispanic:

33.5%

Not Specified:

0.4%

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Compare Darlington High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 79th percentile in 2016 → 82nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (56% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 18% of Wisconsin high schools

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Wisconsin average (92%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school56%

District avg56%

Wisconsin avg46%

94^th of 533

Wisconsin public high schools ?

Top 18%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From top 21% (2016) to top 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

167^th of 432Darlington Community School District among Wisconsin districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	76.3	94 of 533	82.4%	★★★★☆
2025	53.0	205 of 431	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.7	284 of 431	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	65.1	123 of 415	70.4%	★★★★☆
2022	46.8	196 of 391	49.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.6	161 of 390	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	69.5	94 of 400	76.5%	★★★★☆
2018	74.0	76 of 410	81.5%	★★★★☆
2017	67.8	104 of 410	74.6%	★★★★☆
2016	71.3	86 of 408	78.9%	★★★★☆
2015	69.9	121 of 466	74.0%	★★★★☆
2014	52.0	273 of 462	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	73.4	81 of 457	82.3%	★★★★☆
2012	60.7	212 of 452	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	84.7	8 of 445	98.2%	★★★★★
2010	61.5	211 of 450	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.7	138 of 438	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	70.9	110 of 437	74.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	86.3	41 of 461	91.1%	★★★★★
2023	88.1	23 of 329	93.0%	★★★★★
2022	50.8	170 of 343	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.1	147 of 332	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	75.2	65 of 343	81.0%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	66.1	53 of 187	71.7%	★★★★☆
2025	43.7	63 of 126	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	77.7	56 of 446	87.4%	★★★★☆
2025	55.1	136 of 335	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.1	48 of 271	82.3%	★★★★☆
2021	56.7	86 of 226	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.7	81 of 251	67.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	65.1	146 of 462	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.9	151 of 380	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	39.5	225 of 365	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.6	231 of 359	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.0	216 of 347	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.2	231 of 334	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	181 of 354	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	76.1	65 of 373	82.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	78.9	57 of 344	83.4%	★★★★☆
2025	55.4	119 of 285	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.3	132 of 300	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.7	59 of 271	78.2%	★★★★☆
2022	40.0	151 of 269	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.3	137 of 266	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	66.0	70 of 266	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	74.5	49 of 261	81.2%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Female (2026)91st percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)87th percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)83rd percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)72nd percentile-11 vs school

Male (2026)68th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts64%+15 vs state

Social Studies55%+7 vs state

Mathematics55%+12 vs state

Science52%+9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Darlington High

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (2026)	Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)			Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)			Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)		Forward Exam Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ACT English Language Arts 10th Grade	ACT Mathematics 10th Grade	ACT Science 10th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 10th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Darlington High	Public	9-12	11838 Center Hill Rd	Darlington	53530	Lafayette County	Darlington Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 776-4001	263	23	11.6	41.1%	174 (66.2%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (33.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	76.3	94^th of 533 public high schools	82.4%		53	205^th of 431 public high schools	52.4%	111	63.8	55.2	51.7								55.2		$18,270	$335	$17,935
Shullsburg High	Public	9-12	444 N Judgement St	Shullsburg	53586	Lafayette County	Shullsburg School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 965-4427	109	11	9.7	42.2%	94 (86.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (13.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	47.9	305^th of 533 public high schools	42.8%		45.1	250^th of 431 public high schools	42.0%	55	47.4	36.8	42.1								42.4		$17,963	$879	$17,084
Belmont High	Public	7-12	646 E Liberty St	Belmont	53510	Lafayette County	Belmont Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 762-5131	168	15	10.8	33.3%	147 (87.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (8.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	66.6	171^st of 533 public high schools	67.9%		51.4	212^th of 431 public high schools	50.8%	41	52.2	39.1	52.2		57.1	52.8		67.9	50.0	77.8	59.3	55.6	$17,325	$411	$16,914
Argyle High	Public	9-12	14665 State Road 78	Argyle	53504	Lafayette County	Argyle School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 543-3318	85	9	9.8	34.1%	77 (90.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (5.9%)	76.3	95^th of 533 public high schools	82.2%		31.7	330^th of 431 public high schools	23.4%	235	70.8	54.2	62.5								42.9		$16,882	$386	$16,496
Mineral Point High	Public	9-12	705 Ross St	Mineral Point	53565	Iowa County	Mineral Point Unified School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 987-0730	253	20	12.9	21.3%	233 (92.1%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.1%)	74.2	110^th of 533 public high schools	79.4%		35.1	313^th of 431 public high schools	27.4%	203	58.3	61.7	63.3								44.6		$18,704	$00	$18,704
Black Hawk High	Public	9-12	202 E Center St	South Wayne	53587	Lafayette County	Black Hawk School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 439-5371	96	10	9.5	35.4%	93 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42.1	333^rd of 533 public high schools	37.5%		13.9	393^rd of 431 public high schools	8.8%	60	42.3	38.5	34.6								37.5		$17,369	$2,093	$15,276
Benton High	Public	9-12	41 Alma St	Benton	53803	Lafayette County	Benton School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 759-4002	61	7	8.4	32.8%	56 (91.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	67.4	160^th of 533 public high schools	70.0%		47.4	244^th of 431 public high schools	43.4%	84	40.0	60.0	60.0								50.0		$19,951	$00	$19,951
Cuba City High	Public	9-12	101 N School St	Cuba City	53807	Grant County	Cuba City School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 744-8888	262	21	12.4	22.9%	246 (93.9%)	2 (0.8%)	8 (3.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	3 (1.1%)	87.6	39^th of 533 public high schools	92.7%		81.5	54^th of 431 public high schools	87.5%	15	59.7	73.1	70.2								61.7		$15,068	$581	$14,487
Pecatonica High	Public	6-12	704 Cross St	Blanchardville	53516	Lafayette County	Pecatonica Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 523-4285	198	21	9.4	32.3%	193 (97.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	71.6	126^th of 533 public high schools	76.4%		57.7	179^th of 431 public high schools	58.5%	53	62.5	50.0	65.6	71.4	83.3	76.7	64.3	77.8	73.3	86.7	38.5	76.7	$18,606	$480	$18,126
Platteville High	Public	9-12	710 E Madison St	Platteville	53818	Grant County	Platteville School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 342-4020	479	31	15.7	39.0%	372 (77.7%)	22 (4.6%)	43 (9.0%)	12 (2.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.4%)	73	116^th of 533 public high schools	78.2%		68.9	109^th of 431 public high schools	74.7%	7	49.0	57.7	47.1								66.7		$15,863	$292	$15,571

Frequently Asked Questions about Darlington High

How many students attend Darlington High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 263 students attended Darlington High.

What schools feed into Darlington High?

Darlington High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Darlington Elementary/Middle

What district is Darlington High in?

Darlington Community School District

What is the racial makeup of Darlington High?

Students at Darlington High are 66% White, 33% Hispanic.

Is Darlington High a good school?

Darlington High ranks 94^th of 533 Wisconsin high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Darlington High!

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2018–19 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 20, 2026

2016–17 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.