Waunakee High

Summary:

Waunakee High is a public high school serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,327 students, located in Waunakee, Wisconsin. The school is part of the Waunakee Community School District, which is ranked 29th out of 428 school districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Waunakee High has consistently been ranked among the top high schools in Wisconsin, with a statewide ranking of 17th out of 431 schools for the 2023-2024 school year and a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's students consistently outperform the state and district averages on standardized tests, particularly in STEM subjects, with 75.59% of 10th-grade students proficient or better in ACT Science, compared to the state average of 43.55%. Waunakee High also maintains a high four-year graduation rate of 97.9% and an exceptionally low dropout rate of just 0.1%, significantly better than the state averages.

The school's strong performance extends across various student subgroups, including female, male, Hispanic, and White students, as well as students with special education needs. When compared to nearby high schools, such as Vel Phillips Memorial High School, Sun Prairie West High, and De Forest High, Waunakee High stands out as a top-performing institution, with its students outperforming their peers on standardized tests and boasting significantly better graduation and dropout rates.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 301 Community Dr
       Waunakee, WI  53597-1639


(608) 849-2100

District: Waunakee Community School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
17th of 431 Wisconsin High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $12,104 Help


Feeder schools for Waunakee High:

Elementary:    Arboretum Elementary
    Waunakee Heritage Elementary
    Waunakee Prairie Elementary
Middle:    Waunakee Intermediate
    Waunakee Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  13.3 Help
Number of students:  1,327

Racial breakdown:

White:
85.7%
Hispanic:
7.2%
Two or more races:
3.1%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  6.7% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Waunakee High ranks better than 96.1% of high schools in Wisconsin. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 92.86. (See more...)
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The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Waunakee High freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (85.7%), Hispanic (7.2%), two or more races (3.1%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 6.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Waunakee High is 13.3. (See more...)
Help
Compare Waunakee High employs 99.2 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Waunakee High is $12,104.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Waunakee High:

SchoolDigger ranks Waunakee High 17th of 431 Wisconsin public high schools. (See Waunakee High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Waunakee Community School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Waunakee Community School District 29th of 428 Wisconsin school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Waunakee High

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Waunakee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 78.56 32nd 275 88.4%
2005 79.74 29th 287 89.9%
2006 77.69 35th 292 88.0%
2007 75.42 52nd 281 81.5%
2008 77.90 49th 437 88.8%
2009 76.07 64th 438 85.4%
2010 77.48 50th 450 88.9%
2011 75.26 72nd 445 83.8%
2012 76.03 67th 452 85.2%
2013 80.97 35th 457 92.3%
2014 92.23 5th 462 98.9%
2015 74.00 77th 466 83.5%
2016 96.44 12th 408 97.1%
2017 96.08 13th 410 96.8%
2018 96.35 8th 410 98.0%
2019 94.30 15th 400 96.3%
2021 95.01 13th 390 96.7%
2022 94.05 14th 391 96.4%
2023 86.91 37th 415 91.1%
2024 92.86 17th 431 96.1%
See the entire list of Wisconsin High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Waunakee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2022 97.27 1st 41 97.6%
2024 76.20 13th 71 81.7%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Waunakee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 53.32 20th 55 63.6%
2024 84.89 7th 95 92.6%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Waunakee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 85.70 12th 251 95.2%
2021 62.55 61st 226 73.0%
2022 48.80 118th 250 52.8%
2023 80.97 29th 271 89.3%
2024 53.36 149th 326 54.3%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Waunakee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 96.16 5th 355 98.6%
2019 93.55 14th 343 95.9%
2021 95.38 4th 332 98.8%
2022 94.48 8th 343 97.7%
2024 94.73 8th 353 97.7%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Waunakee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 75.01 9th 40 77.5%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Waunakee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 94.32 12th 373 96.8%
2019 91.88 14th 354 96.0%
2021 90.35 21st 334 93.7%
2022 89.47 21st 347 93.9%
2023 87.08 29th 359 91.9%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Waunakee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 69.63 19th 86 77.9%
2022 71.67 20th 86 76.7%
2023 73.29 22nd 97 77.3%
2024 74.27 23rd 119 80.7%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Waunakee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 95.19 10th 261 96.2%
2019 91.70 20th 266 92.5%
2021 92.63 17th 266 93.6%
2022 90.64 20th 269 92.6%
2023 81.65 37th 271 86.3%
2024 91.39 17th 300 94.3%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Waunakee High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 



Data source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for Waunakee High

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 539 1 1 2 0 n/a n/a 0 543
1990 510 1 1 1 0 n/a n/a 0 513
1991 522 5 5 2 1 n/a n/a 0 535
1992 524 4 7 1 0 n/a n/a 0 536
1993 557 9 6 2 1 n/a n/a 0 575
1994 620 2 3 2 1 n/a n/a 0 628
1995 684 1 4 3 0 n/a n/a 0 692
1996 684 1 4 3 0 n/a n/a 0 692
1997 717 1 5 1 0 n/a n/a 0 724
1998 764 4 7 3 0 n/a n/a 0 778
1999 760 3 8 3 0 n/a n/a 0 774
2000 791 7 8 3 0 n/a n/a 0 809
2001 831 7 8 3 1 n/a n/a 0 850
2002 879 7 4 5 1 n/a n/a 0 896
2003 879 7 4 5 1 n/a n/a 0 896
2004 929 5 4 10 3 n/a n/a 0 951
2005 958 6 8 14 4 n/a n/a 0 990
2006 944 16 18 15 4 n/a n/a 0 997
2007 986 18 24 16 3 n/a n/a 0 1047
2008 1048 23 22 19 3 n/a n/a 0 1115
2009 1065 22 17 20 1 n/a n/a 0 1125
2010 1081 18 20 21 1 n/a n/a 0 1141
2011 1121 25 15 21 5 0 1 0 1188
2012 1074 17 15 23 4 0 3 0 1136
2013 1086 17 22 26 3 0 9 0 1163
2014 1085 19 25 19 1 0 14 0 1163
2015 1072 16 32 26 0 0 15 0 1161
2016 1112 12 32 36 0 1 17 0 1210
2017 1127 13 35 52 1 1 19 0 1248
2018 1158 12 30 62 2 2 28 0 1294
2019 1185 14 28 58 2 2 33 0 1322
2020 1220 14 28 54 0 1 37 0 1354
2021 1236 16 24 56 0 2 42 0 1376
2022 1190 13 31 74 0 0 44 0 1352
2023 1137 15 31 96 0 0 41 7 1327

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Waunakee High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 543 43.9 12.3 4.8
1990 513 45.0 11.4 1.6
1991 535 45.3 11.8 2.2
1992 536 44.8 11.9 2.6
1993 575 44.2 13.0 3.3
1994 628 44.8 14.0 2.9
1995 692 51.0 13.6 2.5
1996 692 51.0 13.6 2.5
1997 724 57.1 12.7 2.2
1998 778 59.1 13.2 1.9
1999 774 58.6 13.2 3.1
2000 809 58.3 13.9 2.8
2001 850 61.6 13.8 3.1
2002 896 64.9 13.8 1.9
2003 896 64.9 13.8 1.9
2004 951 67.9 14.0 3.5
2005 990 72.3 13.7 n/a
2006 997 71.4 14.0 n/a
2007 1047 75.9 13.8 4.6
2008 1115 77.5 14.4 4.7
2009 1125 79.0 14.2 4.2
2010 1141 81.4 14.0 3.9
2011 1188 84.7 14.0 5.4
2012 1136 83.6 13.5 6.5
2013 1163 85.9 13.5 8
2014 1163 83.1 13.9 8.2
2015 1161 n/a n/a 9
2016 1210 85.0 14.2 7.1
2017 1248 88.6 14.0 6.7
2018 1294 93.0 13.9 5.4
2019 1322 92.6 14.2 5
2020 1354 94.0 14.3 6
2021 1376 97.6 14.0 6
2022 1352 98.1 13.7 6.1
2023 1327 99.2 13.3 6.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Waunakee High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 543 43.9 12.3 4.8
1990 513 45.0 11.4 1.6
1991 535 45.3 11.8 2.2
1992 536 44.8 11.9 2.6
1993 575 44.2 13.0 3.3
1994 628 44.8 14.0 2.9
1995 692 51.0 13.6 2.5
1996 692 51.0 13.6 2.5
1997 724 57.1 12.7 2.2
1998 778 59.1 13.2 1.9
1999 774 58.6 13.2 3.1
2000 809 58.3 13.9 2.8
2001 850 61.6 13.8 3.1
2002 896 64.9 13.8 1.9
2003 896 64.9 13.8 1.9
2004 951 67.9 14.0 3.5
2005 990 72.3 13.7 n/a
2006 997 71.4 14.0 n/a
2007 1047 75.9 13.8 4.6
2008 1115 77.5 14.4 4.7
2009 1125 79.0 14.2 4.2
2010 1141 81.4 14.0 3.9
2011 1188 84.7 14.0 5.4
2012 1136 83.6 13.5 6.5
2013 1163 85.9 13.5 8
2014 1163 83.1 13.9 8.2
2015 1161 n/a n/a 9
2016 1210 85.0 14.2 7.1
2017 1248 88.6 14.0 6.7
2018 1294 93.0 13.9 5.4
2019 1322 92.6 14.2 5
2020 1354 94.0 14.3 6
2021 1376 97.6 14.0 6
2022 1352 98.1 13.7 6.1
2023 1327 99.2 13.3 6.7

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Waunakee High

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $257 (2.1%) $11,763 (97.9%) $12,020
2020 $233 (1.9%) $11,896 (98.1%) $12,130
2021 $201 (1.7%) $11,903 (98.3%) $12,104

Data source: Wisconsin Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Waunakee High

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 15th of 400 High schoolsRanks 37th of 415 High schools
 5.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
10th Grade Social Studies (Waunakee High)65.268.6
 3.4%
   10th Grade Social Studies (Waunakee Community School District)65.268.6
 3.4%
   10th Grade Social Studies (Wisconsin)45.947.2
 1.3%
10th Grade English Language Arts (Waunakee High)58.954.4
 4.6%
   10th Grade English Language Arts (Waunakee Community School District)58.954.4
 4.6%
   10th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)38.841.4
 2.6%
10th Grade Mathematics (Waunakee High)5842.7
 15.2%
   10th Grade Mathematics (Waunakee Community School District)5842.7
 15.2%
   10th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)30.829.4
 1.3%
10th Grade Science (Waunakee High)57.657
 0.7%
   10th Grade Science (Waunakee Community School District)57.657
 0.7%
   10th Grade Science (Wisconsin)32.731.7
 1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students13221327
 0.4%
African American1415
 7.1%
American Indian20
 100%
Asian2831
 10.7%
Hispanic5896
 65.5%
Pacific Islander20
 100%
White11851137
 4.1%
Two or More Races3341
 24.2%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients5%6.7%
 1.7%


Schools Near Waunakee High









Frequently Asked Questions about Waunakee High

Waunakee High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Arboretum Elementary
Elementary : Waunakee Heritage Elementary
Elementary : Waunakee Prairie Elementary
Middle : Waunakee Intermediate
Middle : Waunakee Middle

In the 2022-23 school year, 1,327 students attended Waunakee High.

Students at Waunakee High are 86% White, 7% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

Yes! Waunakee High is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 17th of 431 Wisconsin high schools.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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