Summary
Horace Mann High is a public 9–12 school in North Fond du Lac, WI, serving 453 students in the North Fond du Lac School District, a district that ranks near the bottom of Wisconsin. In 2025–2026, Horace Mann High ranked 446th of 533 high schools (16th percentile, 1 star), up from the 8th percentile in 2024–2025, but still in the bottom quarter. Nearby schools rank much higher: Lomira High (91st percentile), Laconia High (86th), Oakfield High (84th), Fond du Lac STEM Academy (84th), Ripon High (74th), West High (65th), Fond du Lac High (52nd), and Waupun Area Junior/Senior High School (38th).
Test proficiency is the biggest concern. In 2025–2026, 10th-grade ACT proficiency was 23.23% in English Language Arts, 17.17% in Math, and 24.24% in Science—all far below state averages of 48.47%, 42.93%, and 43.20%. Social Studies on the Forward Exam was closer to the state at 44.12% (state 48.25%). Horace Mann’s ACT ELA and Math scores were the lowest among nearby schools, even below North High (54.90% low-income) and Fond du Lac STEM Academy (51.85% low-income). By contrast, graduation is a strength: 95.2% in 2024–2025, above the state’s 92.0% and higher than North High (85.8%), West High (89.5%), and Fond du Lac High (93.0%). The dropout rate was 1.5%, above the state’s 1.1% and the district’s 0.9%. Chronic absenteeism was 15.3%—better than the state’s 17.3% but worse than the district’s 10.7% and much worse than Oakfield High (3.0%), Laconia High (7.0%), and Lomira High (7.2%).
Among student groups, Special Education is a notable strength: it ranked at the 51st percentile statewide with 3 stars, well above the school’s overall 16th percentile. English Language Learner students ranked at the 2nd percentile, indicating a need for targeted language and academic support. Resource context is challenging: per-student spending was $14,155, the lowest among the comparison group, and the student-teacher ratio of 14.5 is higher than most nearby schools. The school improved slightly from 8th to 16th percentile, but the long-term pattern remains near the bottom of Wisconsin high schools, with a striking gap between high graduation rates and low proficiency.
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