Summary:
ZIP code 54017 in New Richmond, Wisconsin has five public schools, all within the New Richmond School District: New Richmond High (grades 9–12), New Richmond Middle (6–8), and three K–5 elementaries — New Richmond Starr Elementary, New Richmond Hillside Elementary, and New Richmond Paperjack Elementary. They enroll about 3,234 students: roughly 45% elementary, 22.5% middle, and 32.4% high school. The district ranks 85th of 432 Wisconsin districts (80th percentile, 4 stars), and four of the five schools hold 4-star ratings.
The academic standout is New Richmond Middle, ranked 93rd of 643 middle schools (86th percentile) and in the 86th–88th range three years running. It shows the ZIP's largest gains over state — 8th grade science +27.77 points and social studies +20.09 — with a 0.0% dropout rate. Among elementaries, Starr leads at 190th of 1,039 (82nd percentile), with the ZIP's lowest chronic absenteeism (9.6%) and smallest classes (12.8 students per teacher). New Richmond High beats the state by 5 to 19 points in every tested subject and drops out only 0.2% of students, yet its 91.8% graduation rate is the ZIP's only measure below the state (92.0%). Paperjack fell from the 86th to the 72nd percentile in a single year, while Hillside ranks lowest (65th percentile, 3 stars, the only school without a 4-star rating) but improved fastest, climbing 47 → 48 → 65.
Two patterns matter most for families. Absenteeism climbs with grade level — Starr 9.6%, Paperjack 10.1%, Hillside 13.8%, Middle 14.1%, High 15.4% — and tracks performance closely, though all five schools beat Wisconsin's 17.3% rate. Spending explains little: Paperjack spends the most per student ($15,848) yet ranks third of three elementaries, while Middle spends the least ($14,114) and ranks highest. Class size aligns better, with Starr's 12.8 ratio accompanying the strongest elementary results. Hillside, with the highest poverty rate (35.09%) and largest elementary classes (14.1), is improving quickly but still trails the district in five of six upper-grade comparisons.
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