Pecatonica High, Blanchardville WI

Original Research by School Decision on Pecatonica High

Pecatonica High serves students from sixth through twelfth grade in a single building in Blanchardville, a small village that straddles the line between Lafayette and Iowa counties in southwest Wisconsin. The school is the secondary campus for the Pecatonica Area School District and draws from a rural community where agriculture and dairy historically anchored the economy and where many residents now commute to Madison, about thirty miles northeast. With an enrollment that is small for a school covering seven grades, the setting is intimate by design.

Academically, the school posts strong results on Wisconsin's Forward assessments. In English language arts, a large majority of tested students at each grade level score at proficient or above. Mathematics proficiency is also solid across grades, with a slight dip in the sixth grade compared to the seventh and eighth. Science and social studies results for eighth graders show a similar pattern, with social studies proficiency running higher than science. When compared to other school districts in Lafayette County, Pecatonica High places in the top quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. That is a clear strength.

The school's graduation rate was not available in the data provided, so a parent may want to confirm that with the district directly. Likewise, information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course offerings, and staffing was not included, making it hard to assess student support structures or the breadth of the academic program.

The student body is almost entirely white, with a modest share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. No program offerings were reported, so it is not possible to say whether the school offers advanced coursework, career and technical education, or dual-credit options.

Blanchardville itself is a compact village with a Main Street commercial core that includes a grocery store, restaurants, a hardware store, and a bank. McKellar Park along the Pecatonica River provides a swimming pool, campsites, sports courts, and walking trails. The village website promotes small-town living within commuting distance of Madison, and publicly reported sources note a recent influx of people relocating from Chicago and other metropolitan areas. Population has been relatively stable by the numbers, but the mix of longtime families and newcomers is shifting. Housing values in the area sit above both state and national benchmarks, reflecting demand from out-of-area buyers.

The Pecatonica Area School District placed a recurring operating referendum on the April 2024 ballot to maintain programming and staffing amid declining enrollment and rising costs, which if approved would raise property taxes permanently. The outcome of that vote was not confirmed in available sources, so a resident considering this district should look into the result and its implications for the district's long-term finances.

For a family seeking a small rural school with a strong proficiency record in a village that is growing slowly and tied to the Madison job market, Pecatonica High fits that profile. The missing pieces, particularly the graduation rate, course access, and the referendum outcome, are worth investigating further with the school and district.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=80%Cohort of 26 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 662%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 19 pts above state median

Grade 865%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 13 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 676%

School 76% · District 76%

▲ 23 pts above state median

Grade 783%

School 83% · District 83%

▲ 31 pts above state median

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 18 pts above state median

Science

Grade 859%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 9 pts above state median

This schoolPecatonica 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income83%Higher-income73%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income75%Higher-income89%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income79%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income73%40 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income67%Higher-income78%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income79%49 pp gap