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Rio Elementary

Q: Is Rio Elementary a good school?

Rio Elementary ranks 586 th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

586^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 44% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Rio Elementary is a small PK–5 school in the rural community of Rio, WI, serving 169 students as part of the Rio Community School District. In 2025–26 the school ranked 586th of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools (44th percentile, 2 stars), while its district ranked 307th of 432 (29th percentile, 1 star) — making the elementary school a relative bright spot within its district. Its rank history shows long-term improvement from the bottom quartile in 2017–18 and 2018–19 to a peak of 67th percentile in 2023–24, followed by 63rd in 2024–25 and 44th in 2025–26. About 37.28% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and per-pupil spending was $19,354 in 2024–25, up from $15,437 in 2021–22.

Attendance is the standout strength. Chronic absenteeism was just 2.1% in 2024–25, far below the district's 8.7% and the state's 17.3%; among nearby schools, only Fall River Elementary (1.5%) is lower. Rio also beats Columbus Elementary (4.2%), Pardeeville Elementary (6.3%), Eagle Point Elementary (7.4%), Randolph Elementary (8.3%), Discovery Charter School (8.6%), Poynette Elementary (9.4%), Cambria Friesland Elementary (10.3%), Woodridge Elementary (22.5%) and Muir Elementary (22.6%). Rio's spending is among the highest nearby, and its 11.7 student-teacher ratio is smaller than most neighbors'.

Academically, science (68.42% vs. 53.46% statewide) and social studies (78.95% vs. 65.51%) are consistent strengths, and Rio is also above the state in grade 4 ELA and grade 5 math. But grade 3 ELA (28% vs. 52.08%), grade 3 math (48% vs. 54.75%) and grade 4 math (36.84% vs. 52.87%) fall below state averages, with grade 3 ELA lower than every nearby school reporting data and grade 4 math the lowest in the nearby group. Rio serves low-income students (64th percentile) and special education students (67th percentile) more effectively than its overall 44th percentile suggests. Watch whether the recent grade 3 ELA and grade 4 math declines become a trend, keeping in mind that small cohorts can swing results.

169

Students ?

11.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,354

Per pupil spending ?

37.3%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

355 Lowville Rd
Rio, WI 53960-9671

(920) 992-3143

District: Rio Community School District

Students who attend Rio Elementary usually attend:

High:

Rio Middle/High

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.1%

Hispanic:

4.1%

African American:

0.6%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Rio Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 41st percentile in 2016 → 44th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school52%

District avg52%

Wisconsin avg55%

586^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 44%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

From bottom 41% (2016) to bottom 44% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

307^th of 432Rio Community 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	50.5	586 of 1039	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	64.9	389 of 1044	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	68.3	352 of 1061	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.6	543 of 1067	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	47.3	627 of 1067	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	67.4	325 of 1050	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.1	817 of 1037	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.6	821 of 1025	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	54.4	518 of 1071	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	46.8	639 of 1075	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	46.8	679 of 1076	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2014	48.3	641 of 1061	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	61.6	401 of 1053	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.2	677 of 1045	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.2	703 of 1046	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	57.7	528 of 1045	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.1	535 of 1030	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	73.2	219 of 1021	78.6%	★★★★☆
2004	34.8	481 of 633	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	54.1	502 of 986	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	66.8	335 of 1001	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.9	360 of 1011	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	64.7	352 of 1010	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.1	558 of 1017	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.1	446 of 1004	55.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	26.3	813 of 1002	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.6	822 of 997	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	59.6	306 of 848	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.6	284 of 870	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.1	254 of 866	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	52.0	407 of 871	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	54.9	364 of 859	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	72.7	143 of 847	83.1%	★★★★☆
2019	26.3	726 of 874	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.2	567 of 854	33.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	45.7	624 of 989	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	61.2	404 of 1000	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.7	344 of 1012	66.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.5	645 of 1011	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.4	641 of 1017	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	74.3	203 of 1003	79.8%	★★★★☆
2019	33.3	750 of 1002	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.5	763 of 997	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	60.5	263 of 791	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.6	354 of 770	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	33.3	518 of 748	30.7%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	50.8	372 of 727	48.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.7	490 of 715	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	485 of 704	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	57.4	283 of 699	59.5%	★★★☆☆

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)67th percentile+23 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)64th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2026)49th percentile+5 vs school

White (2024)49th percentile-18 vs school

Male (2026)37th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies79%+13 vs state

Science68%+15 vs state

Mathematics47%-6 vs state

English Language Arts46%-7 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Sunday, October 14, 2012

Extremely disappointed in this school. My son keeps getting further behind and they will first try to label a child as "special needs" before even considering holding them back! There are situations where the TEACHERS ARE having their OWN CHILDREN, NIECES AND NEPHEWS in their own classes. The district covers a wide area of both the "town" and "country". If you live in town, your child gets prime treatment...especially if they are a relative of someone on staff. It is very unfortunate for the country kids!!! Close Quote

Schools Near Rio Elementary

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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/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	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th 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
Rio Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	355 Lowville Rd	Rio	53960	Columbia County	Rio Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 992-3143	169	14	11.7	37.3%	159 (94.1%)	1 (0.6%)	7 (4.1%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	50.5	586^th of 1039 public elementary schools	43.6%		64.9	389^th of 1044 public elementary schools	62.7%	197	28.0	57.9	53.6	48.0	36.8	53.6	79.0	68.4	$19,354	$1,186	$18,168
Pardeeville Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	503 E Chestnut St	Pardeeville	53954	Columbia County	Pardeeville Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 429-2151	331	25	13.2	39.6%	305 (92.1%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	13 (3.9%)	43.9	673^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	35.2%		57.2	497^th of 1044 public elementary schools	52.4%	176	42.9	49.2		28.6	38.1		68.3	65.1	$15,032	$1,042	$13,990
Poynette Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	225 W North St	Poynette	53955	Columbia County	Poynette School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 635-4347	416	33	12.8	22.6%	384 (92.3%)	2 (0.5%)	11 (2.6%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.4%)	78.1	193^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	81.4%		81.2	141^st of 1044 public elementary schools	86.5%	52	73.3	65.7		75.0	80.0		75.7	61.4	$14,697	$417	$14,280
Cambria Friesland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	410 E Edgewater St	Cambria	53923	Columbia County	Cambria-Friesland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 348-5548	165	14	12.2	25.5%	123 (74.5%)	3 (1.8%)	34 (20.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	78.8	179^th of 1039 public elementary schools	82.8%		64.7	390^th of 1044 public elementary schools	62.6%	211	63.6	83.3	64.0	68.2	83.3	60.0	83.3	91.7	$19,498	$1,051	$18,446
Fall River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	150 Bradley St	Fall River	53932	Columbia County	Fall River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 484-3333	231	19	12.0	29.4%	195 (84.4%)	3 (1.3%)	17 (7.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (6.1%)	81.5	134^th of 1039 public elementary schools	87.1%		79	177^th of 1044 public elementary schools	83.0%	43	80.0	76.7	66.7	73.3	66.7	66.7	76.7	76.7	$16,583	$857	$15,726
Woodridge Elementary	Public	K-1	333 E Slifer St	Portage	53901	Columbia County	Portage Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 742-3494	201	17	11.9	46.8%	144 (71.6%)	7 (3.5%)	34 (16.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.5%)								(n/a)									$18,476	$383	$18,094
Muir Elementary	Public	2-5	2600 Woodcrest Dr	Portage	53901	Columbia County	Portage Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 742-5531	439	41	10.6	47.6%	338 (77.0%)	12 (2.7%)	56 (12.8%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.2%)	40.1	721^st of 1039 public elementary schools	30.6%		36.3	757^th of 1044 public elementary schools	27.5%	36	39.4	40.4	43.3	46.8	47.7	60.8	57.8	44.0	$17,074	$383	$16,691
Columbus Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	200 Fuller St	Columbus	53925	Columbia County	Columbus School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 623-5950	425	34	12.3	34.8%	348 (81.9%)	8 (1.9%)	43 (10.1%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.2%)	56.5	507^th of 1039 public elementary schools	51.2%		52.8	555^th of 1044 public elementary schools	46.8%	48	35.1	59.7	50.7	43.9	59.7	60.3	73.1	64.2	$14,390	$504	$13,886
Discovery Charter School	Public, Charter	K-3	200 Fuller St	Columbus	53925	Columbia County	Columbus School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 623-5950	71	6	12.0	23.9%	58 (81.7%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (12.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (5.6%)								(n/a)	44.4			55.6					$15,263	$331	$14,931
Randolph Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	110 Meadowood Dr	Randolph	53956	Dodge County	Randolph School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 326-2431	195	18	11.1	34.4%	173 (88.7%)	1 (0.5%)	14 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.6%)	78.9	177^th of 1039 public elementary schools	83.0%		75.1	235^th of 1044 public elementary schools	77.5%	58	64.5	72.0	58.6	61.3	76.0	72.4	88.0	84.0	$15,066	$600	$14,466

Frequently Asked Questions about Rio Elementary

What schools do graduates of Rio Elementary attend?

Students who attend Rio Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Rio Middle/High

How many students attend Rio Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 169 students attended Rio Elementary.

Is Rio Elementary a good school?

Rio Elementary ranks 586^th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Rio Elementary?

Students at Rio Elementary are 94% White, 4% Hispanic.

What district is Rio Elementary in?

Rio Community School District

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 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.