Valley New School, Appleton WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Valley New School

Valley New School is a public charter school in the Appleton Area School District serving grades seven through twelve. Its location on College Avenue places it in the heart of downtown Appleton, a walkable corridor that functions as the region's entertainment and cultural hub. The city itself is a mid-sized industrial and educational center with a diversified economy anchored by manufacturing, healthcare, and education, including Lawrence University immediately adjacent to downtown. For families considering this school, the setting offers a distinctly urban, civic-rich environment, with parks, museums, and a performing arts center within walking distance.

The school is small. Demographically, its student body is predominantly White, with small shares of Asian, Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a mix of economic backgrounds. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the source materials, a gap a parent may wish to clarify with the school.

Academically, the picture is mixed and comes with notable limitations in the available data. State Forward test results exist only for grades seven and eight; no high school assessment data was reported, and no graduation rate was provided despite the school serving twelfth grade. For the grades that were tested, proficiency rates varied widely by subject and grade. In seventh grade, math proficiency was low, while English language arts reached the halfway mark. Eighth-grade results showed a wider range, with English language arts proficiency at a low level, math and social studies somewhat higher but still below typical county thresholds, and science also low. When compared across all tested subjects and grades against districts in Outagamie County, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile. A parent should note that these results come from very small tested populations, so year-to-year swings can be large, and the numbers may not fully represent the academic experience of the full student body.

Because the school is a charter, it likely operates with a distinct educational model, but the data provided does not describe its instructional approach, course offerings, or any career, dual-credit, or Advanced Placement pathways. That absence is significant for a secondary school. There is also no information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios. A family interested in this school would do well to ask directly about the curriculum, how the school prepares students for postsecondary options, and what academic supports exist for those who struggle.

The district itself—Appleton Area—did not have any recent parent-relevant changes such as referendums, boundary shifts, or curriculum overhauls captured in the search, so no district-level developments are available to report.

Housing in the area is at a level typical for a mid-sized Wisconsin city, with rents and home values that have been rising moderately. The city continues to invest in sustainability and downtown vitality, but no major new housing projects were identified in the research.

For whom might this school fit? It is a very small charter in a downtown setting, which appeals to families who want an alternative to a large traditional high school and value proximity to Appleton’s cultural and civic life. The proficiency data and the absence of a graduation rate and high school test results, however, mean that a parent should be prepared to do additional fact-finding about academic outcomes for older students. The school’s thin public data does not yet provide a clear picture of how its graduates fare.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

60-79%Cohort of 17 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

528 schools plotted. 25 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 53% · ▼ 27 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 51% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 54% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 814%

School 14% · District 50% · ▼ 36 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 46 pts below county median

Science

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 49% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 62% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

This schoolAppleton Area School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.