Best High Schools in Zip Code 54901

ZIP code 54901 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, has one public high school serving grades 9–12: North High, part of the Oshkosh Area School District, with 1,266 students. Because it is the only high school in the ZIP code, there are no local public high-school alternatives to compare it with; the useful comparisons are between North High, its district, and Wisconsin, plus year-over-year trends.

Academically, North High is rated 1 star and sits in the bottom fifth of Wisconsin high schools, with a 16th percentile rank in 2025–2026, up from 9th percentile in 2024–2025. In 2025–2026, proficiency was 27.64% in ELA versus 48.47% statewide, 24.36% in math versus 42.93%, 23.36% in science versus 43.2%, and 33.7% in social studies versus 48.25%. It also trailed district averages in every subject. Most scores declined from the prior year—ELA down 4.52 points, math down 4.97 points, science down 4.91 points—while social studies improved by 3.74 points but remained below district and state. Chronic absenteeism was 26.2%, compared with 16.9% in the district and 17.3% statewide, meaning more than 1 in 4 students were chronically absent. The graduation rate was 85.8%, below the district’s 87.8% and the state’s 92.0%, while the dropout rate was 1.5%, slightly below the district’s 1.6% but above the state’s 1.1%.

Context matters. North High has a relatively low 11.8:1 student-teacher ratio and spends $16,333 per student, so resources and class size do not appear to be the obvious bottlenecks. However, 54.9% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and chronic absenteeism is high, both of which often align with lower academic outcomes. The data snapshot is limited: one school in the ZIP code, one year of graduation, dropout, and absenteeism data, and two years of test scores. Overall, North High is a large, high-poverty, relatively well-staffed high school that is struggling with attendance and academic proficiency, especially in ELA, math, and science.