MONROE — The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released school report cards last week. 

While the state did change the grading since the 2023-24 school year, districts across Wisconsin had already seen a significant drop-off and slow recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that took students, staff and administration through a choose-your-own-adventure journey into the void of the unknown.

Now five years beyond the start of the pandemic, districts have been able to get students back into a regular instruction, and the report cards show improvement across the board locally.

The School District of New Glarus had the highest overall score in Green, Dane or Lafayette counties (85.2), improving nearly three points from a year ago. New Glarus earned a 5-Star Rating — Significantly Exceeds Expectations, the highest designation awarded by the DPI.  

Argyle (80.1) was tops in Lafayette County, improving almost a full ten points. Albany (77.2) had the largest jump of any local school, rising 10.5 points between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school terms. Shullsburg (67.1) was the only district that declined, dropping from a score of 68.5 a year ago.

The calculation is more than just standardized tests. The Wisconsin School and District Report Cards evaluate schools annually in four key areas: student achievement in English language arts and mathematics; academic growth from year to year; outcomes for students who require additional support; and indicators of student engagement, including attendance, absenteeism, and graduation rates. 

New Glarus ranked between the 89th and 94th percentiles in all categories, underscoring the district’s strength in both academic performance and student progress. 

“These results are years in the making and are a tribute to our students and staff, who have never been satisfied with the status quo,” New Glarus Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Thayer said. “Our staff continually collaborate and carefully analyze what each student needs to be successful. They are deeply committed to ensuring that every student is prepared for whatever path they choose after high school. This success also speaks to the incredible support we receive from our families and the broader community, as well as to the students themselves, who consistently rise to the challenge.”

Monroe’s growth and target group scores now rank among the top 10-15% of all districts in the state, making it one of Wisconsin’s fastest-improving districts for student growth.

Monroe High School nearly reached the “Exceeding Expectations” category this year, coming within just two points. The school’s overall score rose by 10 points, driven by a 13-point jump in growth and an 18-point increase in target group performance.

The high school’s percentile rank climbed sharply, growth rank rose from 18th to 53rd percentile, and target group rank jumped from 21st to 61st, marking the highest achievement, growth, and target ranks in school history.

All three Monroe elementary schools — Abraham Lincoln, Parkside, and Northside earned 5-star ratings, placing them among the best in Wisconsin.

Abraham Lincoln Elementary, a National Blue Ribbon School achieved a perfect score of 100 in both growth and target groups. Parkside and Northside Elementary Schools also posted math growth scores of 100 and target group scores above 90, reflecting exceptional progress for all learners.

2023-24 vs. 

2024-25

DPI school district

report cards

84-100 “significantly exceeds expectations”

71-83.9 “exceeds expectations”

60-70.9 “meets expectations”

49-59.9 “meets few expectations”

0-48.9 “fails to meet expectations”

2024-25 top local schools

Monroe Abe Lincoln 93.6

Monroe Northside 89.9

Argyle Elementary 89.5

Monroe Parkside 88.3

Juda Elementary 87.6

New Glarus Middle School 87.2

Albany Elementary 85.2

New Glarus Elementary 85.2

Black Hawk Elementary 83.5

New Glarus High School 83.2

School districts

Capitol Conf. ’23-24 ’24-25

Belleville 75.1 78.6

Cambridge 68.6 76.5

Columbus 71.9 78.5

Lake Mills 73.2 77.1

Lakeside Lutheran 78.3 76.4

Lodi 80.1 87.4

Marshall 65.2 70.0

New Glarus 82.4 85.2

Poynette 73.8 78.6

Waterloo 62.5 68.1

Waupun 66.4 71.7

Wisconsin Heights 81.1 82.5

Rock Valley ’23-24 ’24-25

Beloit Turner 66.6 70.5

Brodhead 68.4 69.2

Clinton 64.7 68.4

Delavan-Darien 59.9 60.1

East Troy 68.3 72.9

Edgerton 71.6 74.1

Evansville 66.5 70.6

Jefferson 63.2 65.4

Monroe 70.8 76.8

Whitewater 62.9 69.9

SWC ’23-24 ’24-25

Dodgeville 69.7 70.7

Lancaster 70.4 72.5

Platteville 72.5 77.0

Prairie du Chien 71.2 72.7

Richland 72.0 73.4

River Valley 74.1 74.6

SWAL

Boscobel 69.0 73.8

Cuba City 68.8 72.8

Darlington 65.1 65.3

Fennimore 72.5 79.1

Iowa-Grant 75.1 72.5

Mineral Point 71.8 75.4

Riverdale 63.5 65.1

Southwestern 60.7 62.4

Six Rivers

Albany 66.7 77.2

Argyle 70.5 80.1

Barneveld 75.8 78.9

Belmont 69.5 73.8

Benton 73.0 71.1

Black Hawk 60.8 67.7

Cassville 67.2 69.8

Highland 64.4 68.4

Juda 73.4 78.3

Monticello 68.1 70.9

Pecatonica 66.3 66.4

Potosi 73.6 75.2

River Ridge 68.5 77.2

Shullsburg 68.5 67.1

Elementary schools

Capitol Conf. ’23-24 ’24-25

Belleville 83.4 83.7

Cambridge 56.0 67.5

Columbus 81.8 80.9

Lake Mills 72.3 76.5

Lodi Elementary (3-5) 76.6 83.7

Lodi Ouisconsing School of Collaboration 74.3 79.8

Marshall Elementary (3-6) 72.3 71.7

New Glarus 83.6 85.2

Poynette 83.6 91.2

Waterloo Elementary 68.6 72.5

Waterloo Intermediate 65.9 75.1

Waupun Rock River Intermediate (2-6)

71.8 75.8

Waupun School for Ag & Environmental (K4-6) 82.6 73.6

Wisconsin Heights 79.9 82.8

Rock Valley ’23-24 ’24-25

Beloit Turner Intermediate (2-5)

63.2 67.1

Brodhead Albrecht 68.3 70.3

(Big Foot) Walworth (K4-8) 68.7 68.3

Clinton 63.8 68.9

Darien Elementary 61.1 68.9

East Troy Prairie View 73.4 74.8

Edgerton 68.3 71.7

(Edgerton) Yahara 69.7 75.8

Evansville Intermediate 66.8 69.9

Jefferson East 63.5 67.8

Jefferson Sullivan 72.8 79.8

Jefferson West 63.8 63.0

Monroe Abe Lincoln 88.8 93.6

Monroe Northside 86.9 89.9

Monroe Parkside 83.5 88.3

Whitewater Lakeview 79.0 80.8

Whitewater Lincoln 65.4 75.5

Whitewater Washington 72.4 67.2

SWC

Dodgeville 72.1 77.3

Lancaster Winskill 84.1 88.2

Platteville Westview (1-4) 86.7 92.7

Prairie du Chien Bluff View (3-5)

66.9 73.6

Richland Center Intermediate (3-6) 77.0 74.6

River Valley 54.9 60.2

SWAL

Boscobel 58.0 74.1

Cuba City 64.0 56.8

Darlington E/M 74.2 72.4

Fennimore 71.7 76.6

Iowa-Grant E/M 84.9 81.8

Mineral Point 77.3 81.2

Riverdale (4K-6) 62.1 64.6

Southwestern 71.7 68.8

Six Rivers

Albany 77.6 85.2

Argyle 77.6 89.5

Barneveld 72.0 78.2

Belmont 75.0 83.3

Benton 85.4 80.5

Black Hawk 71.6 83.5

Cassville 81.3 76.5

Highland 64.2 62.3

Juda 81.0 87.6

Monticello 80.0 81.9

Pecatonica 73.5 64.0

Potosi 74.4 84.2

River Ridge 70.6 76.9

Shullsburg 65.5 54.5

Middle/junior highs

Capitol Conf. ’23-24 ’24-25

Belleville 75.5 81.3

Cambridge Nikolay 60.2 63.9

Columbus 72.3 85.7

Lake Mills 71.5 78.0

Lodi 81.6 88.6

Marshall 69.2 72.9

New Glarus 83.1 87.2

Poynette 73.9 79.1

Waterloo 58.9 59.4

Waupun 50.8 (NA)

Wisconsin Heights 70.7 74.2

Rock Valley ’23-24 ’24-25

Beloit Turner 63.1 68.3

Brodhead 65.3 69.5

Clinton 63.1 66.3

Delavan-Darien 59.9 58.4

East Troy 57.2 65.6

Edgerton 80.1 84.5

Evansville McKenna 65.8 72.3

Jefferson 66.8 70.9

Monroe 70.1 71.7

Whitewater 57.6 65.7

SWC

Dodgeville 69.9 69.0

Lancaster 71.4 68.9

Platteville 63.8 73.9

Prairie du Chien Bluff View 77.8 73.2

Richland Center 73.9 NA

River Valley 78.8 88.1

SWAL

Boscobel 79.1 77.3

Cuba City 68.4 78.6

Fennimore 58.3 77.5

Mineral Point 70.0 76.5

Riverdale 53.5 61.2

Southwestern 52.8 52.8

Six Rivers

Albany 50.8 71.1

Argyle 65.1 82.0

Barneveld 68.5 75.9

Benton 61.6 58.6

Black Hawk 55.7 64.0

Highland 74.9 73.8

Monticello 67.6 72.9

Potosi 66.8 62.3

River Ridge 66.6 83.4

Shullsburg 62.6 65.1

High schools

Capitol Conf. ’23-24 ’24-25

Belleville 66.4 70.2

Cambridge 79.9 85.1

Columbus 67.6 72.1

Lake Mills 74.5 74.4

Lakeside Lutheran 78.3 76.4

Lodi 81.8 87.1

Marshall 58.9 67.2

Marshall K-12 JEDI 70.8 69.4

New Glarus 80.3 83.2

Poynette 70.0 72.8

Waterloo 68.2 67.1

Waupun 69.8 73.5

Wisconsin Heights 90.6 88.6

Rock Valley ’23-24 ’24-25

Beloit Turner 73.0 74.8

Big Foot 61.3 60.8

Brodhead 71.4 66.5

Clinton 65.0 68.8

Delavan-Darien 59.8 61.9

Delavan-Darien Tech 58.6 40.6

East Troy 76.1 77.3

Edgerton 64.7 63.7

Evansville 67.9 69.6

Jefferson 58.0 58.3

Monroe 59.3 69.3

Whitewater 64.1 70.8

SWC

Dodgeville 64.8 69.9

Lancaster 68.8 64.9

Platteville 65.8 75.7

Prairie du Chien 66.6 70.2

Richland Center (7-12) 64.8 73.3

River Valley 67.7 64.9

SWAL

Boscobel 62.6 66.6

Cuba City 68.4 75.2

Darlington 58.2 54.9

Fennimore 78.5 80.3

Iowa-Grant 57.3 57.3

Mineral Point 72.0 68.4

Riverdale 71.3 66.3

Southwestern 70.3 64.6

Six Rivers

Albany 64.7 73.5

Argyle 71.5 67.6

Barneveld 81.2 80.4

Belmont 62.8 67.7

Benton 73.0 65.8

Black Hawk 56.6 58.8

Cassville 58.1 65.5

Highland 57.3 67.3

Juda 56.0 63.2

Monticello 60.7 61.2

Pecatonica 64.3 67.4

Potosi 74.9 76.5

River Ridge 63.5 69.4

Shullsburg 76.7 73.7

SOURCE: Department of Public Instruction

2024-25 school district mil rates

per $1,000 equalized (fair market) valuation

SWC

Dodgeville $5.80

Lancaster $5.41

Platteville $7.05

Prairie du Chien $5.94

Richland $8.76

River Valley $7.35

SWAL

Boscobel $8.26

Cuba City $9.32

Darlington $7.08

Fennimore $7.73

Iowa-Grant $6.86

Mineral Point $8.28

Riverdale $6.43

Southwestern $8.74

Six Rivers

Albany $9.52

Argyle $8.30

Barneveld $8.41

Belmont $8.37

Benton $7.59

Black Hawk $5.81

Cassville $7.63

Highland $10.71

Juda $10.31

Monticello $7.67

Pecatonica $9.52

Potosi $9.58

River Ridge $6.97

Shullsburg $5.95