Flambeau Elementary

Flambeau Elementary is a rural PK–5 school in Tony, Wisconsin, serving 188 students in the Flambeau School District. Statewide, it ranks 787th of 1,039 Wisconsin schools in 2025–2026 (24th percentile, 1 star), and its district sits in the bottom quarter of the state. Locally, Flambeau leads its peer group: its 24th-percentile rank is tied with Ladysmith Elementary (4.87 miles away) and ahead of Holcombe Elementary (21st percentile) and Bruce Elementary (14th percentile). All four are PK–5 schools in bottom-quartile districts, so the edge is real but relative.

In 2025–2026, proficiency rates were below Wisconsin in every reported subject and grade. ELA ranged from 35.48% to 38.10% against state rates near 52–54%, while math ranged from 40.00% to 47.62% against about 52–55%. Social studies was 52.38% versus 65.51% statewide and science 42.86% versus 53.46%. Math has generally been closer to state — grades 4 and 5 each landed about 5 points below — while ELA gaps ran 15–18 points. Averaging the eight reported results gives roughly 42.5%, about 12 points under the comparable state average, but higher than Ladysmith (~41%), Holcombe (~33.5%) and Bruce (~31%). Individual grades have beaten the state, including grade 5 math at 66.67% in 2024–2025.

Chronic absenteeism is a genuine strength: 11.2% in 2024–2025, well below the district's 18.6% and the state's 17.3%, and better than Bruce (11.7%) and Holcombe (14.9%), though Ladysmith was lower at 8.9%. Flambeau serves a high-poverty population (71.28% free/reduced lunch) and spends $19,600 per student — more than Ladysmith and Bruce, less than Holcombe. Students with disabilities have performed comparatively well, ranking above the school's overall standing, while results for low-income students have been uneven. The school's trajectory is not yet stable: it rebounded to the 30th percentile in 2024–2025 before slipping back. Steadier growth in ELA and science, and consistent support for its largest student groups, are the clearest opportunities.