MADISON (AP) - Five school districts and 99 schools in Wisconsin have been slapped with failing grades, according to report cards released Thursday by the state Department of Public Instruction.

The vast majority - 82 percent of schools and 91 percent of districts - scored three or more stars, meaning they met or exceeded expectations. The five that failed to meet expectations - the lowest score - were Racine, Bayfield, Cambria-Friesland, Cassville and Menominee Indian.

Schools have to be in the lowest category for two consecutive years before they face any sanctions.

The vastly overhauled rating system and performance measurements for 2,341 individual schools and 424 districts are back after a one-year absence. There were no report cards last year while the state transitioned from the Badger Exam to the Forward Exam and the Legislature made a host of other changes to how performance data is interpreted and reported.

As a result, the Department of Public Instruction advises it would be "inaccurate and inadvisable" to compare the latest data to that of previous years.

"The system is significantly different, measures different things and values different things than our past report cards," said DPI spokesman Tom McCarthy.

Still, the report cards do provide a snapshot into school performance, with some caveats.

The state's largest district, Milwaukee Public Schools, has struggled with student achievement for years and this year received a two-star ranking, which means it met few expectations. It was one of 33 districts in that ranking.

This is also the first year that data was collected from the 227 private schools participating in the Milwaukee, Racine and statewide choice program. Under that program, parents can use taxpayer-funded vouchers to send their children to private schools. But those schools are not included in this year's data because the report cards are generated from at least two years' worth of information.

The ratings are based on four areas: student achievement in English language arts and math; student growth; closing gaps between student groups; and measuring readiness for graduation and postsecondary success.