Best High Schools in Zip Code 53590

ZIP code 53590 in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin contains three public high schools serving grades 9–12 — Sun Prairie East High, Sun Prairie West High, and Prairie Phoenix Academy — all within the Sun Prairie Area School District, with roughly 2,753 students enrolled in total.

East and West are near-twins in size (1,340 and 1,325 students), spending ($16,795 and $17,056 per student), class size (14.3 and 14.4 students per teacher), and low-income share (27.16% and 30.04%). Given those similar inputs, West is the stronger performer: it ranks 159th of 533 schools (70th percentile, 4 stars) and is the only 4-star school here, with higher proficiency in English Language Arts (57.99% vs. 53.93%) and Mathematics (46.18% vs. 42.86%). East is the fastest improver — its percentile rose from 46 to 65 and its rating from 2 to 3 stars — and leads on completion, with the highest graduation rate (96.1%), a reported 0.0% dropout rate, and lower chronic absenteeism (24.7% vs. West's 29.4%). Notably, West scores higher on tests while East posts the better attendance and completion figures; the data does not explain why.

Prairie Phoenix Academy operates in a different reality: 88 students, the smallest classes (10.7 per teacher), the most spending ($20,053 per student), the highest low-income share (55.68%), the highest chronic absenteeism (84.5%), and the lowest ranking (472nd of 533, 1 star) with a four-subject proficiency average of 13.23%. Yet its 93.1% graduation rate is above the state's 92.0% — and with so few students, a single student can swing a percentage point or more. Absenteeism is elevated across all three schools: the state average is 17.3% and the district's is 20.0%. Overall, both large high schools perform above state averages and well above their district's own 2-star rating, while the small academy is best judged against a different benchmark.