Wisconsin school report cards published; how to check your school's grade

MILWAUKEE - New report cards are out for all Wisconsin public and choice schools, as well as all the state's districts. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) on Tuesday, Nov. 19 published the 2023-2024 school year report cards. Some conservative groups say the scores are inflated. 

"The report cards, they really provide a picture of where schools and districts perform, they help inform communities and they are a tool, a really valuable tool that schools and districts use to see areas that may be in need of improvement," said Chris Bucher, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Federal and state law both require the state DPI to publish school and district report cards every year. The state's formula takes into account multiple aspects when grading: 

• Achievement
• Growth
• Target Group Outcomes
• On-Track to Graduation

VIEW report card for your school and/or school district

As that list shows, the state's district and school grades are not just based on standardized tests. The Wisconsin DPI equation also includes growth – how students' language arts and math performance are improving over time. 

Wisconsin law adds another component: "The department shall consider the impact of poverty on pupil achievement and growth by adjusting the importance given to the measures…"

Depending on the above categories, the state will rate each school or district with stars from five for the highest-rated schools, down to one:

• Significantly Exceeds Expectations (five stars)
• Exceeds Expectations (four stars)
• Meets Expectations (three stars)
• Meets Few Expectations (two stars)
• Fails to Meet Expectations (one star)

Some of the districts getting five stars include: Mequon-Thiensville, Elmbrook and Whitefish Bay.

Schools and districts the state classifies as exceeding expectations get four stars. Among those districts are: Wauwatosa, Franklin and Grafton. 

The following are some of the districts that get three stars and are deemed to meet expectations: Milwaukee, Kenosha, West Allis-West Milwaukee and Waukesha. 

Among those districts getting two stars for meeting few expectations is Racine.

One-star districts fail to meet expectations, according to the state's definitions.

"You may think with some of the districts that struggle around the state that there would at least be some districts that rate only one star. It doesn’t mean that there’s nothing good going on, but it means that they really need improvement. There’s not one single school district in the state of Wisconsin that DPI rated one star," said Quinton Klabon, Institute for Reforming Government. "Unfortunately, we’ve seen a lot of inflation when it comes to how schools are rated in Wisconsin. Only 17% of schools in Wisconsin and only 7% of districts are rated 2 or 1 star. We know there are schools that struggle."

"There’s so much different data: chronic absenteeism, graduation rates, assessments, so I think when you’re looking just at the assessment picture, report cards are much more than that," Bucher said. 

Wisconsin DPI said 94% of public school districts met, exceeded or significantly exceeded expectations. 

These new report cards include the newly-updated assessments, released in October. DPI said they were updated because revised academic standards for English in 2020 and math in 2021 are now in the classroom – and so assessments needed to change. 

"Results typically showed for most grades, slightly over 50% of students were meeting or advanced for both ELA and math, and that varies a little bit per grade level, which is a lot different from what it was historically," said Duane Dorn, Wisconsin DPI. "I think historically it was right around 40% of students were proficient or advanced in previous years, so this is the new baseline year and that’s feeding into these report cards for this school year."

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"That happened a couple months ago when a group of experts in the field who are educators, those people who are in classrooms and work with students on a daily basis, they convened and helped us align cut scores on standardized assessments to recently-updated Wisconsin academic standards," Bucher added.

However, conservative groups gave the new assessments failing grades.

"Ideally, we have consistent information for parents year to year. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic and because of changes DPI recently made to test scores, that is impossible. So, report cards were changed in 2021, they were changed this year in 2024, and they're going to change again in 2025," Klabon said. 

More information and resources on report cards can be found on the DPI’s report cards webpage.

To read the report card for districts and schools in Wisconsin, you can use this DPI report card database.

Reaction

School Choice Wisconsin President Nicholas Kelly

"Parents across Wisconsin know what educational opportunities are best for their kids. School choice empowers them to make those decisions. While report cards are just one piece of information a family might use, it’s clear that Wisconsin’s choice schools give them important options.

"Regardless of measurement changes implemented this year by the Department of Public Instruction, as in the past students in the choice program continue to grow and achieve at a higher level. These results occur despite choice schools being funded at 70% of public school levels."