Summary:
ZIP code 54448 covers Marathon, Wisconsin, and is served by three public schools — one elementary (PK–5), one middle school (6–8), and one high school (9–12) — all part of the Marathon City School District, with 770 students enrolled combined. The district ranks 118th of 432 Wisconsin districts, in the 73rd percentile with 4 stars, placing it above average statewide. But the three schools have quite different profiles.
Marathon High is the academic standout: it ranked 69th of 533 high schools (87th percentile, 4 stars) in 2025–2026 and has held 4 stars for three straight reported years. Its 10th-grade results beat the state in every reported subject — 61.19% proficient in ACT ELA vs. 48.47% statewide, 56.72% in math vs. 42.93%, and 56.72% in science vs. 43.20%. Its dropout rate was 0.0% vs. 1.1% statewide, and graduation was 90.6%, close to the state's 92.0%. The catch is attendance: chronic absenteeism hit 23.0%, above the district's 14.2% and the state's 17.3%.
Marathon Elementary is the attendance leader at 7.1% chronic absenteeism, less than half the state rate, with strong 3rd- and 5th-grade ELA and math results and above-state 4th-grade science, though 4th-grade ELA (45.45% vs. 53.87%) lagged. Marathon Venture Academy is the most uneven: 8th-grade results are excellent (74.55% math, 78.18% social studies, 72.73% science), but 6th- and 7th-grade ELA fell below state, and its rank slipped from 4 stars in 2023–2024 to 3 stars in each of the last two years. Spending also varies widely, from $11,172 per student at the middle school to $16,097 at the high school.
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