Elcho Elementary

Elcho Elementary is a small rural PK–5 school in Elcho, Wisconsin, serving 127 students as part of the Elcho School District. In 2025–2026, it ranked 330th of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools — the 68th percentile with 3 stars — its highest mark in the years shown and a notable jump from the 34th percentile in 2024–2025. The district as a whole ranks 261st of 432 (40th percentile, 2 stars), so the elementary school stands out as a relative bright spot within its own district.

Among nearby schools, Elcho posted the strongest 2025–2026 results. It outperformed the state and every nearby school in 7 of 8 tested subject-and-grade areas, including fourth grade, where students reached 78.57% in ELA, 71.43% in math, 85.71% in social studies and 78.57% in science. It did this while spending $16,173 per student — the lowest of the group, compared with $18,695 to $20,266 at Crescent Elementary, Central Elementary, Crandon Elementary and Pelican Elementary — and with the smallest enrollment, roughly one-third to one-half the size of those schools. About 49.61% of students qualified for free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025, similar to Pelican and Crescent and much higher than Crandon.

Two cautions are worth noting. Fifth-grade math was the clear weak spot at 35.29%, below the state's 51.81% and below Crescent, Central and Pelican (though above Crandon's 21.05%) — striking because the same grade scored above state in ELA. And with only 127 students, a handful of test-takers can swing results dramatically, so the 2025–2026 surge should be read alongside the 2024–2025 dip. Chronic absenteeism also remains a concern: 22.5% in 2024–2025, better than the district's 25.0% but above the state's 17.3% and far above Rhinelander School District schools such as Crescent (5.7%) and Pelican (11.7%), though below Crandon School District's 30.2%.