Summary:
ZIP code 54017 (New Richmond, Wisconsin) is served by three public elementary schools — New Richmond Hillside Elementary, New Richmond Starr Elementary, and New Richmond Paperjack Elementary — all serving grades K–5 under a single district, New Richmond School District, and together enrolling roughly 1,458 students. Because all three feed the same district, they share the same benchmark figures, which makes comparing them unusually straightforward.
Starr is the steadiest performer: it has held a 4-star rating every year on record, never dropped below the top 30% of Wisconsin elementary schools, and in 2025-2026 posted the highest composite proficiency of the three (70.41%) while leading in 6 of 8 subject-grade areas. Hillside is the turnaround story, rising from the 48th percentile (2 stars) to the 65th (3 stars) and placing no subject-grade score below the state average in 2025-2026. Paperjack was the strongest of the three in both 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 but slipped to 72nd percentile in 2025-2026, with every one of its subject-grade scores declining year over year; it remains a 4-star school and still beats the state in 7 of 8 areas.
Practical differences matter too. Starr has the lowest chronic absenteeism (9.6%), lowest free/reduced-lunch rate (29.73%), and smallest classes (student-teacher ratio 12.8). Hillside has the highest absenteeism (13.8%), the only rate above the district's 13.3%, and the largest classes (14.1) despite enrolling the most students. Paperjack spends the most per student ($15,848) yet finished third in 2025-2026, while the highest-poverty, lowest-funded school (Hillside, $14,262) made the biggest gain — a reminder that spending alone doesn't determine outcomes. All three sit well above the state average and in the top 35% of Wisconsin elementary schools.
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