Colfax High, Colfax WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Colfax High

Colfax High serves students from seventh grade through twelfth grade in a small rural village in western Wisconsin. The school operates as part of the Colfax School District, which follows a two-school model: an elementary school for pre-kindergarten through sixth grade and this combined middle and high school for grades seven through twelve. That structure shapes the experience here—students spend six years in one building, moving through early adolescence into young adulthood alongside a peer group that changes only somewhat as families move in or out.

Academically, the picture comes from state assessments taken in seventh and eighth grades, since Wisconsin’s Forward exam covers only through grade eight. On those tests, math proficiency is solid, with a majority of students meeting or exceeding the state standard. English language arts performance is mixed: seventh graders show strong results, while eighth graders fall below that mark. Eighth-grade science proficiency sits at about half of students, and social studies at a clear majority. Across the subjects and grades that are tested, the school’s overall performance ranks among the highest in Dunn County, above the midpoint of the four districts in the county. That suggests a generally capable student body and effective instruction in the middle school years, though parents of incoming eighth graders may want to ask the school about the dip in eighth-grade reading and writing scores.

What about high school outcomes? The available data does not include a graduation rate or postsecondary measures, so a family considering Colfax High would need to inquire directly about four-year graduation rates, college enrollment, and career readiness offerings. The school may well have strong results in those areas, but the information is not part of the public record used here.

The student body is small overall and overwhelmingly white, with very small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that indicates the community includes a notable number of families with lower incomes. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the source material, so those populations may be small or may simply not have been captured.

The village of Colfax itself is a small, compact community with a mix of homes, local businesses, and light industry. Housing values are moderate—below both the Wisconsin state average and the national median—making the area relatively affordable for families. The village has seen slow, steady population growth and modest home-value increases in recent years. The Red Cedar River runs through town, and the village maintains a railroad museum, several civic organizations, and a weekly newspaper. Major highways offer access to Eau Claire, Menomonie, and the Twin Cities within a reasonable drive. For parents, the housing market is a practical consideration: it is not an expensive place to buy or rent relative to the region.

The district recently held a facilities referendum to fund building improvements, a decision that affects property taxes and school infrastructure for years to come. That is a concrete change families living in the district would have voted on or are now paying for.

In sum, Colfax High offers a stable, small-school environment in a rural setting where middle school academic performance is competitive with nearby districts. The high school grades are an open question in terms of measurable outcomes, which a parent would want to explore directly with the school. The peer group is largely homogenous, and the community is affordable and quietly growing. For a family that values a small, consolidated secondary school in a low-cost rural area, this is a plausible fit—provided the high school experience aligns with their expectations.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 58 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 767%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 16 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 773%

School 73% · District 73%

▲ 21 pts above state median

Grade 857%

School 57% · District 57%

▲ 4 pts above state median

Science

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 70%

▲ 5 pts above state median

This schoolColfax 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 7Lower-income70%Higher-income77%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income38%Higher-income72%34 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 7Lower-income61%Higher-income73%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income84%36 pp gap