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Jefferson High

Q: Is Jefferson High a good school?

Jefferson High ranks 163 rd of 533 Wisconsin high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

163^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 533 Wisconsin High Schools

Better than 69% of Wisconsin high schools

Summary

Jefferson High is a 9–12 public school with about 603 students in Jefferson, Wisconsin, a small city in Jefferson County, and it is part of the Jefferson School District. The high school is currently performing above its district's overall standing: the district ranks 174th of 432 Wisconsin districts (60th percentile), while Jefferson High ranked 163rd of 533 high schools in 2025–2026 (69th percentile, 3 stars). Its 2024–2025 graduation rate was 95.8%, above the state's 92.0%, with a dropout rate of 0.8%; 34.99% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and per-student spending was $16,791.

Academically, Jefferson High was above the state average in every tested subject in 2025–2026. Social studies is the standout: 10th graders scored 59.23% proficiency versus 48.25% statewide, the highest among regular comprehensive nearby high schools. Math (46.43% vs 42.93%) and science (49.11% vs 43.20%) were also comfortably above state, while English language arts (49.11% vs 48.47%) was only slightly ahead. That marks a sharp turnaround from 2022–2023, when Jefferson's ACT proficiency was far below state in all three subjects; the school's rank climbed from the 20th percentile that year to the 69th percentile in 2025–2026. Lake Mills High and Cambridge High remain ahead on ACT subjects, though Jefferson generally outpaces Watertown High, Whitewater High, and Fort Atkinson High on test scores.

Attendance is the clearest operational concern: chronic absenteeism was 17.1% in 2024–2025, close to the state's 17.3% but well above Fort Atkinson High (8.8%), Lake Mills High (10.2%), and Whitewater High (11.4%). Graduation is solid but not top of the nearby group, with Watertown High, Whitewater High, and Deerfield High posting higher rates. On subgroup effectiveness, special education students (75th percentile) and low-income students (59th percentile) rank well statewide, while other groups trail. Class sizes are moderate, with a 13.9 student-teacher ratio.

603

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,791

Per pupil spending ?

35.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

700 W Milwaukee St
Jefferson, WI 53549-1498

(920) 675-1100

District: Jefferson School District

Feeder schools for Jefferson High:

Elementary:	East Elementary
	Sullivan Elementary
	West Elementary
Middle:	Jefferson Middle

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.5%

Hispanic:

23.5%

Two or more races:

3.0%

See top rated Wisconsin high schools

Compare Jefferson High to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 43rd percentile in 2016 → 69th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (51% vs 46% meeting standards)

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Wisconsin average (92%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 26 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg51%

Wisconsin avg46%

163^rd of 533

Wisconsin public high schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 27 pts since 2016

From bottom 43% (2016) to top 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

174^th of 432Jefferson 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	67.3	163 of 533	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	40.0	285 of 431	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.7	200 of 431	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	26.4	330 of 415	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.7	286 of 391	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.8	295 of 390	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.0	309 of 400	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	37.0	277 of 410	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	65.0	116 of 410	71.7%	★★★★☆
2016	44.7	234 of 408	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	52.6	290 of 466	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2014	70.7	118 of 462	74.5%	★★★★☆
2013	60.8	184 of 457	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	60.2	219 of 452	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	43.3	357 of 445	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	53.7	285 of 450	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	60.4	206 of 438	53.0%	★★★☆☆
2008	49.9	297 of 437	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2007	48.1	213 of 281	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.5	221 of 292	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	51.9	199 of 287	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2004	50.3	187 of 275	32.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	42.3	64 of 115	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	22.4	308 of 358	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.4	205 of 353	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	41.9	195 of 329	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.3	261 of 343	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.8	221 of 332	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	22.7	292 of 343	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.8	254 of 355	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	140 of 187	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.3	76 of 126	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	25.9	77 of 97	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	51.0	33 of 76	56.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	55.2	183 of 446	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	48.9	169 of 335	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.2	110 of 326	66.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	43.0	144 of 250	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.2	123 of 226	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	31.6	180 of 251	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.4	176 of 255	31.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	62.8	167 of 462	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.4	228 of 380	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.3	331 of 359	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	259 of 347	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	294 of 334	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.9	213 of 354	39.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.4	259 of 373	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	62.8	84 of 333	74.8%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	69.1	87 of 344	74.7%	★★★★☆
2025	35.9	198 of 285	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.3	133 of 300	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	23.5	218 of 271	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.3	203 of 269	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.2	225 of 266	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.3	192 of 266	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.8	185 of 261	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)75th percentile+5 vs school

White (2026)75th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)64th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)59th percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)44th percentile-25 vs school

Hispanic (2026)25th percentile-44 vs school

Female (2025)14th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies59%+11 vs state

English Language Arts49%~ state avg

Science49%+6 vs state

Mathematics46%+4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Jefferson 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
Jefferson High	Public	9-12	700 W Milwaukee St	Jefferson	53549	Jefferson County	Jefferson School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 675-1100	603	43	13.9	35.0%	425 (70.5%)	5 (0.8%)	142 (23.5%)	7 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.0%)	67.3	163^rd of 533 public high schools	69.4%		40	285^th of 431 public high schools	33.9%	122	49.1	46.4	49.1	59.2	$16,791	$279	$16,512
Fort Atkinson High	Public	9-12	925 Lexington Blvd	Fort Atkinson	53538	Jefferson County	Fort Atkinson School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 563-7811	816	60	13.7	26.5%	631 (77.3%)	16 (2.0%)	122 (15.0%)	15 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	21 (2.6%)	55.1	253^rd of 533 public high schools	52.5%		45.1	252^nd of 431 public high schools	41.5%	1	48.7	38.9	48.7	42.9	$17,394	$221	$17,173
Lake Mills High	Public	9-12	615 Catlin Dr	Lake Mills	53551	Jefferson County	Lake Mills Area School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 648-2355	447	33	13.7	25.3%	374 (83.7%)	2 (0.4%)	60 (13.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	84.3	51^st of 533 public high schools	90.4%		77.8	68^th of 431 public high schools	84.2%	17	70.8	63.5	65.6	53.3	$15,178	$528	$14,650
Cambridge High	Public	9-12	403 Blue Jay Way	Cambridge	53523	Jefferson County	Cambridge School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 423-3261	277	19	14.3	20.9%	243 (87.7%)	3 (1.1%)	14 (5.1%)	9 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.5%)	72.9	118^th of 533 public high schools	77.9%		70.6	93^rd of 431 public high schools	78.4%	25	61.4	49.3	50.7	55.4	$18,468	$267	$18,201
Koshkonong Trails School	Public, Charter	7-12	37 Oakland Rd	Cambridge	53523	Dane County	Cambridge School District	Yes	No	No	No	(608) 423-8040	28	2	13.7	17.9%	27 (96.4%)	1 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)				33.3	$17,660	$271	$17,389
DOC: Thompson Correctional Center	Public	7-12	434 State Farm Rd	Deerfield	53531	Dane County	Wisconsin Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(608) 423-3415	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Whitewater High	Public	9-12	534 S Elizabeth St	Whitewater	53190	Walworth County	Whitewater Unified School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 472-8100	606	43	14.0	43.2%	326 (53.8%)	11 (1.8%)	240 (39.6%)	6 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.6%)	39.5	352^nd of 533 public high schools	34.0%		32.8	323^rd of 431 public high schools	25.1%	29	36.9	35.5	33.3	44.4	$17,728	$667	$17,062
Deerfield High	Public	9-12	300 Simonson Blvd	Deerfield	53531	Dane County	Deerfield Community School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 764-5431	207	18	11.6	21.3%	173 (83.6%)	6 (2.9%)	17 (8.2%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.3%)	50.8	283^rd of 533 public high schools	46.9%		38.3	294^th of 431 public high schools	31.8%	11	42.0	42.0	36.0	51.9	$17,341	$256	$17,085
Watertown High	Public	9-12	825 Endeavour Dr	Watertown	53098	Dodge County	Watertown Unified School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 262-7500	1,012	68	14.9	34.7%	713 (70.5%)	18 (1.8%)	219 (21.6%)	12 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	48 (4.7%)	46	316^th of 533 public high schools	40.7%		42.4	274^th of 431 public high schools	36.4%	42	41.7	38.8	38.8	43.1	$18,015	$900	$17,114
Endeavor Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	825 Endeavour Dr	Watertown	53098	Dodge County	Watertown Unified School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 262-7500	46	3	15.3	37.0%	39 (84.8%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (6.5%)	88.3	35^th of 533 public high schools	93.4%		87.1	35^th of 431 public high schools	91.9%		81.8	45.5	72.7	100.0	$8,677	$900	$7,777

Frequently Asked Questions about Jefferson High

What schools feed into Jefferson High?

Jefferson High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : East Elementary
Elementary : Sullivan Elementary
Elementary : West Elementary
Middle : Jefferson Middle

Is Jefferson High a good school?

Jefferson High ranks 163^rd of 533 Wisconsin high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Jefferson High?

In the 2024-25 school year, 603 students attended Jefferson High.

What is the racial makeup of Jefferson High?

Students at Jefferson High are 70% White, 24% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What district is Jefferson High in?

Jefferson School District

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

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

2016–17 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)Oct 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.