Best High Schools in Zip Code 54740

ZIP code 54740 in western Wisconsin is home to a single high school: Elmwood High, which serves grades 9–12 with an enrollment of 90 students as part of the Elmwood School District. Because it is the only high school in the area, parents should read its results as a single-school profile, comparing the school against its district, the state, and its own prior years rather than against other local high schools. It is a small, resource-rich setting, with a student-teacher ratio of 8.7 and per-student spending of $21,572 in 2024–2025.

Outcomes are strong. Elmwood High posted a 100.0% graduation rate in 2024–2025, above the district's 92.8% and the state's 92.0%, along with a 0.0% dropout rate versus 2.4% district and 1.1% state. Chronic absenteeism was 10.3%, better than the state's 17.3% but higher than the district's 6.2%. Test scores in science, mathematics, and social studies are consistently the school's strongest: in 2025–2026, science proficiency was 61.9% against 43.2% statewide, mathematics 57.14% against 42.93%, and social studies 66.67% against 48.25%. English Language Arts is the relative weak spot, at 47.62% in 2025–2026, slightly below the state's 48.47% and above the district's 41.38%, after a stronger 51.85% in 2024–2025.

Rankings reflect high but somewhat variable performance. The school was 12th of 431 in 2023–2024, a 97th-percentile, 5-star result, then 78th of 431 in 2024–2025 and 82nd of 533 in 2025–2026, still 82nd–85th percentile with 4 stars. That is above the district's 3-star, 63rd-percentile rank, though district rankings may cover multiple schools and grade levels. The main watch items are the rise in chronic absenteeism relative to the district and the less consistent ELA results; with only 90 students, year-to-year swings can be large.