Goodman-Armstrong Elementary

Goodman-Armstrong Elementary is a PK–6 school in the small northern Wisconsin community of Goodman, serving just 36 students in the Goodman-Armstrong Creek School District. Its tiny enrollment shapes nearly everything about the school, from class sizes to how much it spends per student.

On the positive side, attendance is a real bright spot. Chronic absenteeism was 8.3% in 2024–25, well below Wisconsin's 17.3% and far below the district's 25.7%, and a big improvement from 28.6% in 2021–22. Academically, science in grade 4 (57.14%) is above the state's 53.46%, and grade 5 math (50%) is close to the state average. The school also has the smallest classes and highest per-student spending ($28,315) of nearby schools — more than double Wabeno Elementary's $12,023. But results are uneven: English Language Arts in grades 3–5 is below state averages, and grade 4 math is markedly low at 14.29% versus the state's 52.87%. The school's overall rank is 805 of 1,039 (23rd percentile, 1 star), the lowest among nearby schools, even though Robinson Elementary (44th percentile, 2 stars), Pembine Elementary (35th percentile, 2 stars), and Wabeno (31st percentile, 2 stars) rank higher.

Rank history has swung widely rather than declined steadily — 69th percentile / 3 stars in 2021–22, down to 12th percentile in 2017–18, and 23rd percentile / 1 star now. Because only 36 students attend, grade-level proficiency rates can shift dramatically based on a single student's performance, so one year's numbers should be read with caution. The most notable pattern is the contrast between high spending and small classes on one hand, and a low current overall rank on the other.