Summary:
ZIP code 53530 covers Darlington, Wisconsin, and contains 2 public schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade: Darlington Elementary/Middle (PK–8, 636 students) and Darlington High (9–12, 263 students). Both belong to the Darlington Community School District, which ranks in the 61st percentile with 3 stars. There is no standalone middle school or alternative school here, so the two schools together serve about 899 students.
Darlington High is the standout. It ranks in the 82nd percentile with 4 stars in 2025–2026, up from the 52nd percentile and 3 stars the prior year and the 34th percentile and 2 stars the year before. It graduates 96.8% of students, above the state's 92.0%, reports a 0.0% dropout rate, and has just 0.8% chronic absenteeism versus 17.3% statewide. Its 2025–2026 test scores beat the state in every reported subject, with especially large gains in ACT ELA (49.21 to 63.79) and ACT Math (39.68 to 55.17).
Darlington Elementary/Middle is improving but more uneven, rising from the 41st to the 56th percentile and from 2 to 3 stars. Math averages 57.70 against the state's 53.73, while ELA sits essentially at the state average; 7th grade is the clear weak spot, with ELA 16.27 percentage points below state. Chronic absenteeism is 5.4%, still well under the state but above the district's 4.0%. The high school spends $18,270 per student versus $14,363 at the elementary/middle school and has a lower student-teacher ratio (11.6 vs. 14.1), while the elementary/middle school has a higher free/reduced-lunch rate (48.43% vs. 41.06%).
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