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New Directions Learning Community

Q: Is New Directions Learning Community a good school?

New Directions Learning Community ranks 127 th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-4

127^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 88% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

New Directions Learning Community is a public elementary school in Kaukauna, WI, serving about 270 students in grades PK–4 as part of the Kaukauna Area School District, and it currently ranks among the top 12% of Wisconsin elementary schools. Its long-term trajectory is striking: it climbed from roughly the 61st percentile statewide in 2015–2016 to the 99th percentile in 2021–2022 and 2023–2024, before settling at the 88th percentile in 2025–2026.

Academically, New Directions outperformed both the district and the state in nearly every tested subject on the 2025–2026 Forward Exam. Third-grade ELA proficiency was 71.79%, fourth-grade ELA 75.56%, fourth-grade math 75.56%, social studies 84.44%, and science 73.33% — all comfortably above state averages. The one soft spot is 3rd-grade math at 61.54%, slightly below the district average and down from 77.78% the prior year, making it the clearest area to watch. Results also held up across student groups: every reported subgroup, including special education and low-income students, ranked between the 84th and 91st percentiles statewide.

Attendance is a standout. Chronic absenteeism was just 3.5% in 2024–2025, far below the district rate of 10.8% and the state rate of 17.3%, and the lowest among listed schools in its district. The school also spends $10,984 per student with a 16.0 student-teacher ratio — less money and larger classes than most nearby schools, yet strong results. Among neighbors, Woodland School in Kimberly posts stronger proficiency in most subjects with even lower absenteeism, and Janssen Elementary is competitive in 3rd-grade ELA and math, but New Directions leads in 4th-grade ELA, 4th-grade math, social studies, and science.

270

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,984

Per pupil spending ?

17.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2601 Sullivan Ave
Kaukauna, WI 54130

(920) 766-6116

District: Kaukauna Area School District

Students who attend New Directions Learning Community usually attend:

Middle:	River View School
High:	Kaukauna High

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.1%

Hispanic:

5.6%

Two or more races:

3.0%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare New Directions Learning Community to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 99th percentile in 2024 → 88th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (74% vs 55% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 12% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 99th-percentile peak (2024) to 88th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school74%

District avg66%

Wisconsin avg55%

127^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Top 12%▲ up 27 pts since 2016

From top 39% (2016) to top 12% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Kaukauna Area School District

90^th of 432Kaukauna Area 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	81.8	127 of 1039	87.8%	★★★★☆
2025	91.7	21 of 1044	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	93.4	11 of 1061	99.0%	★★★★★
2023	91.7	28 of 1067	97.4%	★★★★★
2022	93.9	14 of 1067	98.7%	★★★★★
2021	84.3	107 of 1050	89.8%	★★★★☆
2019	83.3	100 of 1037	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	80.8	130 of 1025	87.3%	★★★★☆
2017	71.5	264 of 1071	75.4%	★★★★☆
2016	61.3	421 of 1075	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	62.6	420 of 1076	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	58.2	469 of 1061	55.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	79.4	147 of 986	85.1%	★★★★☆
2025	92.8	11 of 1001	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	92.2	14 of 1011	98.6%	★★★★★
2023	88.5	48 of 1010	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	91.3	26 of 1017	97.4%	★★★★★
2021	84.8	95 of 1004	90.5%	★★★★★
2019	89.2	36 of 1002	96.4%	★★★★★
2018	82.7	100 of 997	90.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	76.1	113 of 848	86.7%	★★★★☆
2025	94.8	7 of 870	99.2%	★★★★★
2024	94.0	12 of 866	98.6%	★★★★★
2023	94.0	12 of 871	98.6%	★★★★★
2019	86.1	39 of 874	95.5%	★★★★★
2018	87.4	37 of 854	95.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	81.4	123 of 989	87.6%	★★★★☆
2025	88.5	43 of 1000	95.7%	★★★★★
2024	91.7	18 of 1012	98.2%	★★★★★
2023	92.7	15 of 1011	98.5%	★★★★★
2022	95.0	11 of 1017	98.9%	★★★★★
2021	80.7	117 of 1003	88.3%	★★★★☆
2019	69.6	264 of 1002	73.7%	★★★★☆
2018	77.2	163 of 997	83.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	75.4	124 of 791	84.3%	★★★★☆
2024	92.5	26 of 790	96.7%	★★★★★
2023	65.0	200 of 770	74.0%	★★★★☆
2022	94.8	16 of 748	97.9%	★★★★★
2021	76.4	96 of 746	87.1%	★★★★☆
2019	89.6	23 of 742	96.9%	★★★★★
2018	70.0	133 of 721	81.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	84.7	62 of 697	91.1%	★★★★★
2025	90.0	27 of 718	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	91.7	20 of 715	97.2%	★★★★★

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)

White (2026)91st percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)88th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)87th percentile~ school

Female (2026)85th percentile-3 vs school

Special Education (2026)84th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies84%+19 vs state

English Language Arts74%+21 vs state

Science73%+20 vs state

Mathematics69%+15 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, January 27, 2017

NDLC has been an incredible, nurturing environment for our daughter with exceptional teachers and a focus on literacy and writing. The school works actively with Teacher's College of Columbia University (NYC), sending teachers every year to workshops there and bringing in specialists from NY to implement best practices in education. My only regret is that it stops at 4th grade. Close Quote

Schools Near New Directions Learning Community

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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)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)					Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)					Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)	Forward Exam Science (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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Quinney Elementary	Public	2-4	2601 Sullivan Ave	Kaukauna	54130	Outagamie County	Kaukauna Area School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 766-6116	359	25	14.5	19.5%	306 (85.2%)	2 (0.6%)	22 (6.1%)	6 (1.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.1%)	69.8	314^th of 1039 public elementary schools	69.8%		77.1	208^th of 1044 public elementary schools	80.1%	106	58.1	60.2				61.0	70.8				77.0	65.8	$15,099	$338	$14,761
New Directions Learning Community	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	2601 Sullivan Ave	Kaukauna	54130	Outagamie County	Kaukauna Area School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 766-6116	270	17	16.0	17.4%	246 (91.1%)	1 (0.4%)	15 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	81.8	127^th of 1039 public elementary schools	87.8%		91.7	21^st of 1044 public elementary schools	98.0%	106	71.8	75.6				61.5	75.6				84.4	73.3	$10,984	$164	$10,820
Dr H B Tanner Elementary	Public	PK, KG-1	2500 Fieldcrest Dr	Kaukauna	54130	Outagamie County	Kaukauna Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 766-6150	466	31	15.0	25.1%	376 (80.7%)	5 (1.1%)	39 (8.4%)	12 (2.6%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.7%)								(n/a)													$13,287	$350	$12,936
Janssen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	420 Wallace St	Combined Locks	54113	Outagamie County	Kimberly Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 788-7915	339	26	13.1	21.8%	289 (85.3%)	5 (1.5%)	14 (4.1%)	11 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (5.3%)	84.3	99^th of 1039 public elementary schools	90.5%		73.6	260^th of 1044 public elementary schools	75.1%	161	87.1	70.2				82.9	71.6				79.1	70.2	$12,713	$421	$12,293
Park Community Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	509 Lawe St	Kaukauna	54130	Outagamie County	Kaukauna Area School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(920) 766-6129	256	18	14.0	28.5%	207 (80.9%)	5 (2.0%)	14 (5.5%)	6 (2.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.0%)	81.8	125^th of 1039 public elementary schools	88.0%		85.5	88^th of 1044 public elementary schools	91.6%	37	66.7	70.5				78.6	75.0				81.8	70.5	$13,877	$556	$13,320
Haen Elementary	Public	1-4	1130 Haen Dr	Kaukauna	54130	Outagamie County	Kaukauna Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 766-6134	323	27	11.7	51.4%	226 (70.0%)	12 (3.7%)	42 (13.0%)	10 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (9.9%)	57.7	488^th of 1039 public elementary schools	53.0%		61.6	433^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	58.5%	55	52.7	55.8				59.5	57.0				66.3	57.0	$15,878	$1,221	$14,657
Little Chute Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	901 Grand Ave	Little Chute	54140	Outagamie County	Little Chute Area School District	No	No	No	(n/a)	(920) 788-7610	590	43	13.5	39.2%	461 (78.1%)	19 (3.2%)	56 (9.5%)	13 (2.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (6.3%)	57.7	489^th of 1039 public elementary schools	52.9%		58.1	488^th of 1044 public elementary schools	53.3%	1	55.7	53.8				54.7	58.5				68.9	56.6	$13,382	$453	$12,929
Flex Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter	K-8	325 Meulemans St	Little Chute	54140	Outagamie County	Little Chute Area School District	Yes	No	Yes	(n/a)	(920) 687-6650	87	6	15.8	16.1%	78 (89.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (6.9%)	78.6	187^th of 1039 public elementary schools	82.0%		80.9	144^th of 1044 public elementary schools	86.2%	43	61.5	50.0	91.7	85.7	71.4	69.2	62.5	83.3	85.7	85.7	75.0	62.5	$10,186	$186	$10,000
Sunrise Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	N9363 Exploration Dr	Appleton	54915	Outagamie County	Kimberly Area School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 954-1822	456	29	15.5	14.9%	394 (86.4%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.2%)	15 (3.3%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (5.0%)	77	215^th of 1039 public elementary schools	79.3%		81.7	136^th of 1044 public elementary schools	87.0%	79	71.6	62.2				72.6	69.4				78.6	66.3	$12,005	$402	$11,603
Westside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	746 W 3rd St	Kimberly	54136	Outagamie County	Kimberly Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 739-3578	408	32	12.9	30.6%	321 (78.7%)	9 (2.2%)	38 (9.3%)	13 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.4%)	73.2	267^th of 1039 public elementary schools	74.3%		71.4	291^st of 1044 public elementary schools	72.1%	24	62.5	64.4				66.7	70.1				78.2	62.1	$12,876	$614	$12,263

Frequently Asked Questions about New Directions Learning Community

Is New Directions Learning Community a good school?

New Directions Learning Community ranks 127^th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of New Directions Learning Community attend?

Students who attend New Directions Learning Community usually go on to attend:

Middle : River View School
High : Kaukauna High

How many students attend New Directions Learning Community?

In the 2024-25 school year, 270 students attended New Directions Learning Community.

What district is New Directions Learning Community in?

Kaukauna Area School District

What is the racial makeup of New Directions Learning Community?

Students at New Directions Learning Community are 91% White, 6% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Rate New Directions Learning Community!

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WIWisconsin Elementary School Rankings

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Schools in Kaukauna, WI

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresNewOct 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.