The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Green Lake High
Green Lake High serves grades seven through twelve as a regular public school within the Green Lake School District. The school is housed in the small resort community of Green Lake, Wisconsin, a village on the northeast shore of the state’s deepest natural inland lake. The area has a long history as a summer destination, with shops, restaurants, marinas, and cultural anchors like the Thrasher Opera House concentrated along the lakefront. Year-round residents share the town with seasonal visitors, and the downtown is compact and walkable. Housing values in the area sit above both state and national benchmarks, reflecting the desirability of lakefront and near-lake property.
The school itself is small, serving just over a hundred students across the six grade levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available sources.
Academically, Green Lake High participates in the Wisconsin Forward Exam for students in grades seven and eight. Performance varies by subject and grade. In English language arts, a strong majority of seventh graders met or exceeded proficiency, while eighth-grade results were solid but somewhat lower. Math proficiency presented a more mixed picture: seventh graders posted a good result, but the eighth-grade math proficiency rate was lower, representing an area where a parent may want to ask the school about curriculum and support. Science performance for eighth graders was moderate. Social studies results were fairly strong for that grade level. State testing data for high school grades was not available in the materials reviewed; Wisconsin administers the ACT to juniors, but those results were not part of this profile.
A defining feature of the entire Green Lake School District is its International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. The district is the only 4K-12 IB school in Wisconsin and one of a small number worldwide offering IB across all grade levels. This means Green Lake High’s academic program is shaped by IB’s framework of inquiry, critical thinking, and global perspectives. For families who value an internationally oriented, structured approach to learning, this is a significant draw. Few neighboring schools can claim the same.
When compared with other districts in Green Lake County, the school’s overall proficiency index—an average across tested subjects and grades—sits above the midpoint of the four districts in the county. That places it among the stronger performers locally, though not at the very top. The county’s small number of districts means the range is narrow, but the school holds its own.
The community context matters for families considering the move. Green Lake is a place where seasonal tourism shapes the rhythm of the year, with summer concerts, festivals, and water recreation drawing visitors. The school calendar may align with that ebb and flow. The town’s amenities include parks, a conference center, golf courses, and a network of bike trails. The nearest larger cities are Ripon and Oshkosh, each a short drive away. The school building sits on Mill Street, within the village, but the available sources did not specify its exact location relative to downtown.
There are gaps in the record that a parent might want to follow up on. No graduation rate was reported for the high school. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or advanced course offerings beyond the IB curriculum was provided. Civil rights data on student discipline or access was also absent. For a family weighing this school, asking about how the IB program is implemented at the high school level—course availability, diploma rates, and how it prepares students for college or careers—would be a natural next step. Likewise, the math results for eighth grade may prompt a conversation about support systems for students who struggle with that subject.
In sum, Green Lake High offers a distinctive academic identity rooted in the IB framework, in a small, lake-oriented community with above-average housing costs. Its test results for the middle grades are broadly solid, with a notable soft spot in eighth-grade math. For families who want a globally focused curriculum in a tight-knit setting, it is worth a close look. Those who need more data on high school outcomes or student support should ask directly.
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