Lac du Flambeau Elementary

Lac du Flambeau Elementary is a PK–8 school with 499 students in Lac du Flambeau, a small community in northern Wisconsin, and it is the only school in the Lac du Flambeau #1 School District. It ranks 889th of 1,039 Wisconsin schools in 2025–2026 (14th percentile, 1 star), and its district ranks 421st of 432. Its rank has stayed in the bottom 11–14% since at least 2015–2016, with no sustained improvement. Most students come from low-income families: 92.38% qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025, and chronic absenteeism was 35.3%, versus 17.3% statewide. The school has a student–teacher ratio of 8.0 and spends $43,102 per student.

Comparisons with nearby schools are stark. On the 2025–2026 Forward Exam, average proficiency across reported results is about 27%, versus roughly 55% statewide and 63% to 82% nearby. In 8th grade social studies, 29.51% were proficient, compared with 80.95% at North Lakeland Elementary and 83.02% at Minocqua Elementary, and in 4th grade science 28.57% were proficient versus 84.62% at Northland Pines Elementary-St Germain. Chronic absenteeism of 35.3% is the highest in the group, where nearby schools range from 2.5% to 19.6% (Arbor Vitae-Woodruff Elementary). The 92.38% free/reduced-lunch rate is far above neighbors such as Northland Pines Montessori Learning Center (23.19%) and Minocqua Elementary (32.41%). Spending of $43,102 per student also far exceeds nearby schools ($15,147 to $25,440), while the student–teacher ratio of 8.0 is the lowest.

What does this mean for families? The school has unusually high resources and small classes, yet proficiency is the lowest among nearby schools, suggesting poverty and absenteeism — not resources alone — shape outcomes. Bright spots include 4th grade math (41.07%) and 5th grade ELA (40.82%), though both remain below state and most nearby schools, and the dropout rate was 0.0% in 2024–2025. Results for Native American students rank at the 36th percentile, above the school's overall 14th percentile.