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Central Elementary

Q: Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks 678 th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

678^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 35% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary is a public elementary school in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, serving 271 students in grades PK-5. It is part of the Rhinelander School District, which is ranked 302 out of 426 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Central Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Wisconsin elementary schools over the past 5 years, with its performance on the Forward Exam generally below the district and state averages. However, the school performs relatively better in mathematics, with 3rd-5th grade students scoring above the district average in recent years. Additionally, Central Elementary's performance for low socioeconomic status students is a bright spot, ranking in the top half of Wisconsin elementary schools in this category. The school has also seen a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 4.7% in 2020-2021 to 19.5% in 2022-2023, which is notably higher than the state average.

Comparing Central Elementary to nearby schools, Northwoods Community Elementary, another school within the Rhinelander School District, consistently outperforms Central Elementary on state assessments and has a higher SchoolDigger ranking. Nearby schools in other districts, such as Minocqua Elementary and Three Lakes Elementary, also demonstrate stronger academic achievement and higher SchoolDigger rankings. While Central Elementary's high percentage of low-income students appears to be a significant factor in its academic performance, targeted interventions and support, as well as exploring best practices from higher-performing nearby schools, could potentially lead to improvements for the school.

269

Students ?

10.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,755

Per pupil spending ?

61.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

418 N Pelham St
Rhinelander, WI 54501-3197

(715) 365-9600

District: Rhinelander School District

Students who attend Central Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	James Williams Middle
High:	Rhinelander High

Racial breakdown:

White:

84.8%

Two or more races:

6.7%

Hispanic:

4.5%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Central Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 55th percentile in 2023 → 35th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (49% vs 54% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped from its 55th-percentile peak (2023) to 35th (2025)

!Science scores 15 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg48%

Wisconsin avg54%

678^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 35%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 25% (2015) to bottom 35% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 4Elementary Schools in the Rhinelander School District

302^nd of 426Rhinelander 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
2025	43.3	678 of 1044	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.8	570 of 1061	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	58.0	483 of 1067	54.7%	★★★☆☆
2022	51.8	569 of 1067	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.3	728 of 1050	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.8	710 of 1037	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.7	758 of 1025	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	32.7	803 of 1071	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	35.3	778 of 1075	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	37.3	803 of 1076	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	41.8	742 of 1061	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2013	37.3	789 of 1053	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	49.4	701 of 1045	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	30.8	875 of 1046	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.9	813 of 1045	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	31.7	845 of 1030	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	40.9	761 of 1021	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	55.8	394 of 689	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2006	50.9	448 of 712	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	76.0	125 of 632	80.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	31.9	762 of 1001	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	51.9	572 of 1011	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.5	402 of 1010	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	52.1	533 of 1017	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.2	737 of 1004	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.8	651 of 1002	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.8	691 of 997	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	50.1	434 of 870	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.2	353 of 866	59.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.5	205 of 871	76.5%	★★★★☆
2022	64.7	237 of 859	72.4%	★★★★☆
2021	44.3	495 of 847	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.8	623 of 874	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.1	642 of 854	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	51.3	542 of 1000	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.3	528 of 1012	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.7	518 of 1011	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.3	546 of 1017	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	42.5	649 of 1003	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	39.1	687 of 1002	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.8	759 of 997	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	30.1	591 of 802	26.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.5	594 of 790	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	41.2	442 of 770	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	456 of 748	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	28.6	557 of 746	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	48.7	335 of 742	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	34.7	485 of 721	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	48.3	404 of 727	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.4	330 of 715	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	22.2	616 of 718	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.1	604 of 686	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile+15 vs school

Male (2025)46th percentile+11 vs school

White (2024)44th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)26th percentile-9 vs school

Female (2025)24th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics58%+4 vs state

Social Studies56%-8 vs state

English Language Arts42%-10 vs state

Science36%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2025)				Forward Exam Mathematics (2025)				Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)	Forward Exam Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th 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
Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	418 N Pelham St	Rhinelander	54501	Oneida County	Rhinelander School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 365-9600	269	26	10.4	61.7%	228 (84.8%)	5 (1.9%)	12 (4.5%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.7%)	43.3	678^th of 1044 public elementary schools	35.1%		54.8	570^th of 1061 public elementary schools	46.3%	108	46.2	36.1	46.4		61.5	50.0	64.3		55.6	36.1	$20,755	$763	$19,992
Crescent Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3319 Boyce Dr	Rhinelander	54501	Oneida County	Rhinelander School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 365-9132	384	36	10.7	52.9%	338 (88.0%)	2 (0.5%)	16 (4.2%)	1 (0.3%)	9 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	34.2	778^th of 1044 public elementary schools	25.5%		30.4	809^th of 1061 public elementary schools	23.8%	31	42.3	49.1	32.8		32.7	49.1	24.1		60.4	49.1	$18,677	$758	$17,920
Pelican Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3350 V Hickey Rd	Rhinelander	54501	Oneida County	Rhinelander School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 365-9160	263	26	10.0	49.0%	240 (91.3%)	2 (0.8%)	4 (1.5%)	2 (0.8%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (4.2%)	42.3	693^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	33.6%		41.6	713^th of 1061 public elementary schools	32.8%	20	42.5	54.3	44.8		40.0	42.9	44.8		58.8	54.3	$18,760	$723	$18,037
Sugar Camp Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4066 Camp Four Rd	Rhinelander	54501	Oneida County	Three Lakes School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 272-1105	111	11	10.2	22.5%	106 (95.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.5%)	65.2	381^st of 1044 public elementary schools	63.5%		78.1	184^th of 1061 public elementary schools	82.7%	197	68.4	50.0	73.3	75.0	79.0	50.0	46.7	91.7	60.0	50.0	$18,851	$900	$17,950
Northwoods Community Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	9086 County Road K	Harshaw	54529	Oneida County	Rhinelander School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 282-8200	97	11	9.2	24.7%	93 (95.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.1%)	79.6	166^th of 1044 public elementary schools	84.1%		78.4	181^st of 1061 public elementary schools	82.9%	15	71.4	77.8	69.2		78.6	66.7	69.2		88.9	44.4	$21,645	$845	$20,800
Three Lakes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	6930 W School St	Three Lakes	54562	Oneida County	Three Lakes School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 546-3323	160	11	14.4	41.9%	155 (96.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	77.6	199^th of 1044 public elementary schools	80.9%		63.4	429^th of 1061 public elementary schools	59.6%	230	79.0	71.4	21.4	73.9	84.2	76.2	35.7	78.3	81.0	81.0	$16,224	$1,092	$15,131
Elcho Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	N11268 Antigo St	Elcho	54428	Langlade County	Elcho School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 275-3707	127	11	11.5	49.6%	114 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.9%)	42.9	685^th of 1044 public elementary schools	34.4%		62.5	448^th of 1061 public elementary schools	57.8%	237	42.9	38.9	66.7		50.0	33.3	22.2		66.7	55.6	$18,069	$837	$17,231
Tomahawk Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1048 E Kings Rd	Tomahawk	54487	Lincoln County	Tomahawk School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 453-2126	512	43	11.9	53.1%	470 (91.8%)	2 (0.4%)	17 (3.3%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (3.5%)	59.8	462^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	55.7%		58.6	506^th of 1061 public elementary schools	52.3%	44	44.6	56.1	58.2		39.2	68.2	70.0		71.2	56.1	$14,432	$866	$13,566
Northland Pines Elementary-St Germain	Public	PK, KG-4	8234 Highway 70 W	Saint Germain	54558	Vilas County	Northland Pines School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 542-3632	87	7	12.6	46.0%	73 (83.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (10.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.4%)	38.2	746^th of 1044 public elementary schools	28.5%		52.8	595^th of 1061 public elementary schools	43.9%	151	28.6	20.0			28.6	53.3			66.7	66.7	$17,290	$634	$16,656
Northland Pines Montessori Learning Center (NPMLC)	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	8234 Highway 70 W	Saint Germain	54558	Vilas County	Northland Pines School District	Yes	No	No	No	(715) 542-2632	69	4	15.4	23.2%	66 (95.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.9%)	87.1	59^th of 1044 public elementary schools	94.3%		88.2	54^th of 1061 public elementary schools	94.9%	5	63.6	70.0			81.8	90.0			90.0	80.0	$13,388	$612	$12,777

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : James Williams Middle
High : Rhinelander High

How many students attend Central Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 269 students attended Central Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary?

Students at Central Elementary are 85% White, 7% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic, 2% African American, 2% American Indian.

What district is Central Elementary in?

Rhinelander School District

Is Central Elementary a good school?

Central Elementary ranks 678^th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Central Elementary!

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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.