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De Forest High

Q: Is De Forest High a good school?

De Forest High ranks 190 th of 533 Wisconsin high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

190^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 533 Wisconsin High Schools

Better than 64% of Wisconsin high schools

Summary

De Forest High is a public high school serving grades 9–12 in DeForest, Wisconsin, a village just north of Madison, with about 1,137 students in the De Forest Area School District. In 2025–2026 it ranked 190th of 533 Wisconsin high schools — the 64th percentile, or 3 stars — putting it in the middle of the statewide pack.

Among nearby schools, De Forest High trails Waunakee High, Lodi High, and Monona Grove High, is roughly comparable to Sun Prairie East High and Poynette High, and ranks ahead of East High and Madison's smaller alternative schools (Shabazz-City High, Innovative High, Prairie Phoenix Academy). Its 10th-grade proficiency rates are above the state average in social studies, math, and science, but below the state average in English language arts — 47.40% versus 48.47% — making literacy the clearest academic weak spot. The school has also slipped recently, from the 71st percentile in 2024–2025 and the 77th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 64th percentile in 2025–2026, dropping from 4 stars to 3 stars.

Two things stand out for families. First, completion is a real strength: a 96.8% graduation rate and a 0.1% dropout rate, both well above state averages and close to the best nearby districts. Second, chronic absenteeism is a warning sign: 15.6% of students are chronically absent, below the state's 17.3% but well above the district's 9.3% and higher than Lodi, Waunakee, and Poynette. The rate is improving, down from 21.9% in 2022–2023. The school also spends less per student ($15,231) than most nearby high schools and has a higher student-teacher ratio (14.1) than Waunakee, Lodi, Monona Grove, and Poynette. Results also vary across student groups — one bright spot in 2025–2026 was the school's results for African American students at the 94th percentile, while English language learners and Asian students were at the 17th percentile — though small group sizes make these figures volatile.

1,137

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,231

Per pupil spending ?

16.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

815 Jefferson St
DeForest, WI 53532-1322

(608) 842-6600

District: De Forest Area School District

Feeder schools for De Forest High:

Elementary:	Eagle Point Elementary
	Windsor Elementary
	Yahara Elementary
Middle:	De Forest Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

80.2%

Hispanic:

7.1%

Two or more races:

6.2%

See top rated Wisconsin high schools

Compare De Forest High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 67th percentile in 2016 → 64th in 2026

Strengths

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

✓Above the Wisconsin median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school50%

District avg50%

Wisconsin avg46%

190^th of 533

Wisconsin public high schools ?

Top 36%▼ down 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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	64.5	190 of 533	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	66.7	123 of 431	71.5%	★★★★☆
2024	70.4	98 of 431	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	64.6	124 of 415	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	59.4	140 of 391	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.7	154 of 390	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	65.8	112 of 400	72.0%	★★★★☆
2018	76.2	67 of 410	83.7%	★★★★☆
2017	74.3	78 of 410	81.0%	★★★★☆
2016	61.6	134 of 408	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.0	65 of 466	86.1%	★★★★☆
2014	63.6	164 of 462	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	70.0	108 of 457	76.4%	★★★★☆
2012	68.7	128 of 452	71.7%	★★★★☆
2011	68.2	136 of 445	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	64.5	187 of 450	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	62.1	185 of 438	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.4	186 of 437	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	81.6	23 of 281	91.8%	★★★★★
2006	76.3	46 of 292	84.2%	★★★★☆
2005	48.4	213 of 287	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	62.7	124 of 275	54.9%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	94.7	5 of 84	94.0%	★★★★★
2024	63.8	10 of 26	61.5%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	19.0	59 of 71	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.5	52 of 57	8.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2021	62.0	7 of 23	69.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	24.0	95 of 115	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	66.8	143 of 461	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.4	83 of 358	76.8%	★★★★☆
2024	77.9	48 of 353	86.4%	★★★★☆
2023	65.7	97 of 329	70.5%	★★★★☆
2022	63.1	122 of 343	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.6	170 of 332	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.9	123 of 343	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	75.5	60 of 355	83.1%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	38.4	111 of 187	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.9	72 of 126	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	73.7	25 of 119	79.0%	★★★★☆
2023	86.1	11 of 97	88.7%	★★★★☆
2022	89.5	7 of 86	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	67.0	21 of 76	72.4%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	48.6	224 of 446	49.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	24.9	275 of 335	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	52.0	154 of 326	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	32.6	186 of 250	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.1	125 of 226	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.6	202 of 251	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	61.8	74 of 255	71.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	59.0	194 of 462	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.9	167 of 380	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.3	158 of 365	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.4	130 of 359	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.5	160 of 347	53.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	60.5	110 of 334	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.3	98 of 354	72.3%	★★★★☆
2018	71.3	83 of 373	77.7%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	53.1	46 of 102	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	34.7	57 of 81	29.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	27.3	55 of 71	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.4	27 of 41	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.3	20 of 37	45.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	7.1	36 of 37	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	42.0	22 of 35	37.1%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	34.2	214 of 333	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	59.2	34 of 93	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.9	43 of 95	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	51.9	23 of 55	58.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	56.7	151 of 344	56.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	72.1	65 of 285	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	70.3	70 of 300	76.7%	★★★★☆
2023	59.9	94 of 271	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.2	115 of 269	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	53.6	109 of 266	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.5	74 of 266	72.2%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	55 of 261	78.9%	★★★★☆

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)

African American (2026)94th percentile+30 vs school

Disabled (2021)70th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2026)69th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)58th percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)56th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)55th percentile-9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)50th percentile-15 vs school

Hispanic (2026)41st percentile-24 vs school

Special Education (2026)36th percentile-29 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)17th percentile-47 vs school

Asian (2026)17th percentile-47 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies53%+5 vs state

Science49%+6 vs state

Mathematics48%+6 vs state

English Language Arts47%~ state avg

★

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Schools Near De Forest 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 Social Studies (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 Social Studies 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
De Forest High	Public	9-12	815 Jefferson St	DeForest	53532	Dane County	De Forest Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 842-6600	1,137	80	14.1	16.2%	912 (80.2%)	41 (3.6%)	81 (7.1%)	33 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (6.2%)	64.5	190^th of 533 public high schools	64.4%		66.7	123^rd of 431 public high schools	71.5%	67	47.4	48.4	49.3	53.5	$15,231	$310	$14,922
Sun Prairie West High	Public	9-12	2850 Ironwood Dr	Sun Prairie	53590	Dane County	Sun Prairie Area School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(608) 834-6624	1,325	92	14.4	30.0%	705 (53.2%)	192 (14.5%)	161 (12.2%)	157 (11.8%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (7.5%)	67.4	159^th of 533 public high schools	70.2%		59.1	170^th of 431 public high schools	60.6%	11	58.0	46.2	45.6	55.0	$17,056	$299	$16,757
Prairie Phoenix Academy	Public	9-12	220 Kroncke Dr	Sun Prairie	53590	Dane County	Sun Prairie Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 834-6900	88	8	10.7	55.7%	31 (35.2%)	28 (31.8%)	12 (13.6%)	2 (2.3%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (14.8%)	10.8	472^nd of 533 public high schools	11.4%					(n/a)	29.4	11.8	11.8	0.0	$20,053	$250	$19,804
Sun Prairie East High	Public	9-12	888 Grove St	Sun Prairie	53590	Dane County	Sun Prairie Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 834-6700	1,340	94	14.3	27.2%	821 (61.3%)	136 (10.1%)	152 (11.3%)	95 (7.1%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	124 (9.3%)	64.8	186^th of 533 public high schools	65.1%		49	231^st of 431 public high schools	46.4%	45	53.9	42.9	48.9	53.3	$16,795	$314	$16,481
Waunakee High	Public	9-12	301 Community Dr	Waunakee	53597	Dane County	Waunakee Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 849-2100	1,335	103	12.9	9.1%	1,109 (83.1%)	20 (1.5%)	105 (7.9%)	44 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57 (4.3%)	95.8	8^th of 533 public high schools	98.5%		84.6	42^nd of 431 public high schools	90.3%	34	76.0	78.4	72.7	76.2	$16,843	$264	$16,578
Shabazz-City High	Public	9-12	1601 N Sherman Ave	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-2440	106	15	7.2	47.2%	57 (53.8%)	12 (11.3%)	16 (15.1%)	1 (0.9%)	2 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (9.4%)	31.8	394^th of 533 public high schools	26.1%		49.1	227^th of 431 public high schools	47.3%	167	23.8	9.5	19.1	72.7	$33,129	$490	$32,639
East High	Public	9-12	2222 E Washington Ave	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-1600	1,643	106	15.4	57.9%	562 (34.2%)	371 (22.6%)	415 (25.3%)	112 (6.8%)	6 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	160 (9.7%)	53.3	268^th of 533 public high schools	49.7%		24.4	358^th of 431 public high schools	16.9%	90	51.5	38.7	43.3	42.4	$19,014	$780	$18,233
Poynette High	Public	9-12	108 N Cleveland St	Poynette	53955	Columbia County	Poynette School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 635-4347	296	23	12.6	19.9%	271 (91.6%)	2 (0.7%)	11 (3.7%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.0%)	65.7	177^th of 533 public high schools	66.8%		81.9	52^nd of 431 public high schools	87.9%	125	60.7	53.6	48.2	43.5	$17,157	$665	$16,492
Innovative High	Public	9-12	1045 E Dayton St	Madison	53703	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-4220	138	18	7.8	72.5%	22 (15.9%)	64 (46.4%)	33 (23.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (12.3%)	30.2	407^th of 533 public high schools	23.6%					(n/a)	40.0	20.0	50.0	0.0	$12,178	$490	$11,688
Monona Grove High	Public	9-12	4400 Monona Dr	Monona	53716	Dane County	Monona Grove School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 221-7666	1,170	86	13.5	19.3%	900 (76.9%)	53 (4.5%)	104 (8.9%)	39 (3.3%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	70 (6.0%)	76.6	91^st of 533 public high schools	82.9%		64.5	138^th of 431 public high schools	68.0%	47	54.3	55.7	59.2	57.3	$16,789	$293	$16,496

Frequently Asked Questions about De Forest High

What district is De Forest High in?

De Forest Area School District

Is De Forest High a good school?

De Forest High ranks 190^th of 533 Wisconsin high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into De Forest High?

De Forest High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Eagle Point Elementary
Elementary : Windsor Elementary
Elementary : Yahara Elementary
Middle : De Forest Middle

What is the racial makeup of De Forest High?

Students at De Forest High are 80% White, 7% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American, 3% Asian.

How many students attend De Forest High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,137 students attended De Forest High.

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

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

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 ACT & Forward Exam scoresSep 25, 2025

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.