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Chain Exploration Center

Q: Is Chain Exploration Center a good school?

Chain Exploration Center ranks 212 th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-8

212^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 80% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Chain Exploration Center is a small public elementary and middle school in Waupaca, Wisconsin, serving 139 students in grades PK–8 as part of the Waupaca School District. Despite being much smaller than most nearby schools, it consistently ranks well above its own district: in 2025–2026 it placed 212th of 1,039 ranked Wisconsin schools (80th percentile, 4 stars), while the district overall sits at the 58th percentile with 3 stars. The same-district Waupaca Learning Center Elementary, which enrolls 602 students, ranks at the 35th percentile with 2 stars.

Attendance is a standout strength. Chronic absenteeism was just 2.2% in 2024–2025, far below the district's 11.0% and the state's 17.3%, and the lowest among the nearby comparison schools. Test scores follow suit: in 2025–2026 Forward Exam results, every tested grade in math scored above 60% proficient — 3rd grade at 82.35%, 4th at 77.78%, and 7th at 78.57% — all well above district and state averages, and English language arts, science, and social studies also generally exceeded state levels. Class sizes are small, with a student-teacher ratio of 11.8 in 2024–2025, and per-student spending was $15,241, mid-range locally. About 33.09% of students qualified for free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025, lower than most nearby schools but higher than Fremont Elementary at 25.77%.

Fremont Elementary is the closest performance peer, ranking higher statewide (94th percentile, 5 stars) with some exceptional grade-level scores, but it has a higher student-teacher ratio (17.1 vs. 11.8) and higher chronic absenteeism (8.8% vs. 2.2%). Chain Exploration Center has also shown recent gains for low-income students, moving from the 43rd percentile in 2023–2024 to the 78th in 2024–2025 and 69th in 2025–2026, even as its free/reduced-lunch share rose. Because enrollment is small, single-year results can swing widely, and the school's 2025–2026 male-female effectiveness gap (89th vs. 65th percentile) is worth watching.

139

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,241

Per pupil spending ?

33.1%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

N3160 Silver Lake Dr
Waupaca, WI 54981-9596

(715) 258-4151

District: Waupaca School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

90.6%

Two or more races:

5.8%

Hispanic:

2.9%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Chain Exploration Center to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 90th percentile in 2019 → 80th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (70% vs 55% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 20% of Wisconsin elementary schools

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 10 percentile points since 2019

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school70%

District avg55%

Wisconsin avg55%

Elementary school

212^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Top 20%▼ down 10 pts since 2019

From top 10% (2019) to top 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

116^th of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Top 18%▼ down 2 pts since 2021

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Waupaca School District

183^rd of 432Waupaca 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	77.0	212 of 1039	79.6%	★★★★☆
2025	78.2	188 of 1044	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	74.9	235 of 1061	77.9%	★★★★☆
2023	85.1	97 of 1067	90.9%	★★★★★
2022	76.0	208 of 1067	80.5%	★★★★☆
2021	68.6	303 of 1050	71.1%	★★★★☆
2019	82.9	107 of 1037	89.7%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	64.4	347 of 986	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.4	242 of 1001	75.8%	★★★★☆
2024	65.8	362 of 1011	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	80.4	136 of 1010	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	65.9	334 of 1017	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	76.5	178 of 1004	82.3%	★★★★☆
2019	92.5	15 of 1002	98.5%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	62.5	260 of 848	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	68.4	193 of 870	77.8%	★★★★☆
2024	46.9	490 of 866	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	79.2	81 of 874	90.7%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	82.6	107 of 989	89.2%	★★★★☆
2025	77.8	180 of 1000	82.0%	★★★★☆
2024	66.8	342 of 1012	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	80.9	136 of 1011	86.5%	★★★★☆
2022	88.0	50 of 1017	95.1%	★★★★★
2021	52.6	529 of 1003	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.6	366 of 1002	63.5%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	95.7	3 of 727	99.6%	★★★★★
2023	76.3	117 of 715	83.6%	★★★★☆
2022	48.0	401 of 704	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	68.0	194 of 699	72.2%	★★★★☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	77.4	116 of 643	82.0%	★★★★☆
2025	92.9	10 of 628	98.4%	★★★★★
2024	87.4	41 of 641	93.6%	★★★★★
2023	79.1	91 of 640	85.8%	★★★★☆
2022	69.0	151 of 617	75.5%	★★★★☆
2021	75.3	99 of 613	83.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	88.3	26 of 580	95.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	86.9	40 of 585	93.2%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	88.4	23 of 399	94.2%	★★★★★
2024	80.1	48 of 407	88.2%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

White (2024)100th percentile+22 vs school

Male (2026)89th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)69th percentile-10 vs school

Female (2026)65th percentile-15 vs school

Middle school

Female (2024)96th percentile~ school

White (2025)94th percentile-4 vs school

Male (2024)93rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies78%+12 vs state

Mathematics72%+18 vs state

English Language Arts67%+13 vs state

Science67%+13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Chain Exploration Center

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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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th 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 Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Chain Exploration Center	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	N3160 Silver Lake Dr	Waupaca	54981	Waupaca County	Waupaca School District	Yes	No	No	No	(715) 258-4151	139	12	11.8	33.1%	126 (90.6%)	1 (0.7%)	4 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.8%)	77	212^th of 1039 public elementary schools	79.6%		78.2	188^th of 1044 public elementary schools	82.0%	24	70.6	72.2	57.9	66.7	71.4		82.4	77.8	63.2	61.1	78.6		77.8		66.7		$15,241	$465	$14,775
Waupaca Learning Center Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	1515 Shoemaker Rd	Waupaca	54981	Waupaca County	Waupaca School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 258-4141	602	56	10.7	51.7%	494 (82.1%)	8 (1.3%)	64 (10.6%)	5 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.0%)	43.6	675^th of 1039 public elementary schools	35.0%		53.5	547^th of 1044 public elementary schools	47.6%	128	62.7	43.2					53.6	46.6					55.1		41.5		$17,352	$913	$16,440
Amherst Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	357 N Main St	Amherst	54406	Portage County	Tomorrow River School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 824-5523	342	24	14.5	26.6%	322 (94.2%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	63.4	401^st of 1039 public elementary schools	61.4%		80.7	150^th of 1044 public elementary schools	85.6%	251	57.9	54.6					56.1	60.0					70.9		69.1		$12,772	$559	$12,214
Iola-Scandinavia Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	450 Division St	Iola	54945	Waupaca County	Iola-Scandinavia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 445-2411	293	24	12.4	36.9%	279 (95.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	58.2	476^th of 1039 public elementary schools	54.2%		65.3	377^th of 1044 public elementary schools	63.9%	99	40.0	53.6	65.7	63.0			50.0	53.6	57.1	45.7			78.6		64.3		$15,115	$598	$14,516
Weyauwega Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	400 E Ann St	Weyauwega	54983	Waupaca County	Weyauwega-Fremont School District	No	No	No	(n/a)	(920) 867-8165	257	21	12.3	52.1%	218 (84.8%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (10.5%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	10 (3.9%)	53.5	550^th of 1039 public elementary schools	47.1%		57.7	492^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	52.9%	58	22.2	50.0	64.3				25.9	57.1	73.8				64.3		57.1		$14,105	$601	$13,504
Wild Rose Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	825 Mt Morris St	Wild Rose	54984	Waushara County	Wild Rose School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 622-4204	276	24	11.6	47.1%	232 (84.1%)	3 (1.1%)	28 (10.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.0%)	60.7	435^th of 1039 public elementary schools	58.1%		75.2	234^th of 1044 public elementary schools	77.6%	201	69.1	51.0	56.8				57.1	46.9	59.1				75.5		57.1		$13,985	$1,129	$12,856
Almond-Bancroft Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1336 Elm St	Almond	54909	Portage County	Almond-Bancroft School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 366-2941	171	17	10.2	49.1%	131 (76.6%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (19.3%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.3%)	33.1	774^th of 1039 public elementary schools	25.5%		42.1	699^th of 1044 public elementary schools	33.0%	75	43.5	31.0	38.1				39.1	48.3	33.3				62.1		44.8		$17,154	$1,002	$16,153
Tomorrow River Community Charter	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	10186 County Road MM	Amherst Junction	54407	Portage County	Tomorrow River School District	Yes	No	No	No	(715) 824-5521	184	13	14.6	32.6%	162 (88.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (8.2%)	23.3	845^th of 1039 public elementary schools	18.7%		55.8	515^th of 1044 public elementary schools	50.7%	330	16.7	41.7	47.6	20.0	44.4	64.3	0.0	8.3	23.8	20.0	55.6	64.3	66.7	85.7	41.7	64.3	$10,963	$295	$10,668
Tomorrow River Virtual Charter School (TRVCS)	Public, Virtual, Charter	PK, KG-8	10186 County Road MM	Amherst Junction	54407	Portage County	Tomorrow River School District	Yes	No	Yes	No	(715) 346-2730	66	4	16.2	—	59 (89.4%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.5%)	49.5	599^th of 1039 public elementary schools	42.3%		65	387^th of 1044 public elementary schools	62.9%	212		100.0		100.0		100.0		0.0		0.0		100.0	100.0	100.0	0.0	100.0	$10,361	$299	$10,062
Manawa Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Beech St	Manawa	54949	Waupaca County	Manawa School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 596-5700	221	17	12.7	52.0%	193 (87.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (8.1%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.1%)	32.3	783^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	24.6%		52.3	563^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	46.1%	220	30.3	47.8	53.1				34.4	30.4	43.8				52.2		43.5		$16,926	$1,917	$15,010

Frequently Asked Questions about Chain Exploration Center

What district is Chain Exploration Center in?

Waupaca School District

What is the racial makeup of Chain Exploration Center?

Students at Chain Exploration Center are 91% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

Is Chain Exploration Center a good school?

Chain Exploration Center ranks 212^th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Chain Exploration Center?

In the 2024-25 school year, 139 students attended Chain Exploration Center.

Rate Chain Exploration Center!

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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.