Summary:
ZIP code 54545 is home to a single school: North Lakeland Elementary, a PK–8 school in Manitowish Waters with 158 students, part of the North Lakeland School District. Because there is only one school here, families have no local alternative to compare against — the meaningful benchmark is the state, and on most measures this school sits well above it.
The school's strengths are broad. Across all listed Forward Exam tests in 2025–2026, its simple average was 70.6%, compared with 55.1% statewide — about 15.5 points higher — with ELA at 74.0% vs. 54.0%, mathematics at 64.3% vs. 53.7%, social studies at 78.7% vs. 65.1%, and science at 71.0% vs. 52.7%. Attendance is a standout: chronic absenteeism is 8.5%, less than half the state's 17.3%, and the reported dropout rate is 0.0% against 1.1% statewide. The school also reports $25,440 in per-student spending and a 9.2:1 student-teacher ratio, both favorable indicators. The district is ranked 53rd of 432 in Wisconsin, placing it in the 88th percentile with 4 stars.
Two trends are worth watching. The school's state ranking slipped from 42nd of 1,061 (96th percentile, 5 stars) in 2023–2024 and 51st of 1,044 (95th percentile, 5 stars) in 2024–2025 to 230th of 1,039 (78th percentile, 4 stars) in 2025–2026 — still top-quartile, but a clear downward move. Every subject average also declined year over year, and 4th grade math was the one 2025–2026 test below state level, at 41.18% vs. 52.87%, down from 77.78%. With only 158 students, a few students can swing a grade-level percentage sharply, so single-year changes should be read with caution.
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