Original Research by School Decision on Lodi High
Lodi High sits in the small city of Lodi, about 25 miles northwest of Madison, in a glaciated valley that still feels like rural Wisconsin. The town itself is compact, with a historic Main Street, seasonal events like Susie the Duck Day and the Lodi Agricultural Fair, and a downtown anchored by City Hall and parks threaded by Spring Creek. The surrounding Town of Lodi is one of the fastest-growing areas in Columbia County, with lakefront communities along Lake Wisconsin seeing seasonal cottages replaced by permanent homes. That growth pressure is a real factor for families considering the area, as it shapes both the housing market and the district’s enrollment context.
The school enrolls about 450 students in grades nine through twelve. That is a small high school by any measure, and it gives the place an intimate, know-your-classmates feel. The student body is overwhelmingly White, with a modest share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of Asian, Black, multiracial, and Native American students. About 14 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a relatively low share and signals a predominantly middle-income peer environment. The school does not report data on students with individualized education programs or English learners, so a parent seeking information on special education supports or language services would need to ask the school directly.
State testing data is not available. That is a meaningful gap. For a regular public high school, the absence of proficiency results means a parent cannot compare academic performance across subjects in the usual way. It is possible the data was simply not reported or not provided to the platform. A parent should treat this as a reason to ask Lodi High for its most recent state report card or to look up the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s school accountability reports directly. Without test results, there is no basis to characterize how students perform on state assessments in reading, math, or science.
The graduation rate is also missing from the data. That is another gap. For a school that serves grades nine through twelve, the four-year graduation rate is a standard measure of whether students finish on time. Its absence does not mean the rate is low, but it does mean a parent cannot verify that metric from this profile. The school’s profile as a regular public high school means it should have a reported rate, so the missing field is likely a data collection issue rather than a reflection on the school itself. A parent would want to confirm this with the district.
No course access information or program offerings were provided. There is no data on Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, career and technical education pathways, or other academic options. That is a limitation. For a high school, program breadth is a central factor in whether it fits a student’s goals. A parent should ask the school directly about course catalog offerings, partnerships with Madison College or other institutions for dual credit, and any specialized academies or certifications.
Discipline, staffing ratios, and chronic absenteeism data are also absent. The civil rights and outcomes section is empty. That means there is no information on suspensions, teacher experience or turnover, or how many students miss a significant number of school days. These are all areas a parent would want to explore by visiting the school or speaking with current families.
The housing market in Lodi’s ZIP code shows home values above both the Wisconsin state median and the national median. That puts Lodi in a relatively pricier bracket for a small city, likely reflecting its location within commuting distance of Madison and the appeal of the lakefront communities. A mortgage at prevailing rates on the median home would be a substantial monthly cost, so affordability is a consideration. Rent data is not available, which limits the picture for families who are not buying.
The district itself did not surface any recent major changes in policy, curriculum, referendums, or property tax shifts from publicly available sources. That does not mean nothing is happening, but it suggests a period of relative stability or at least no headline-level changes in the last few years.
Lodi High is a small high school in a growing small town with a rural feel, strong housing demand, and a mostly middle-income student body. The big unknowns are academic performance, graduation rates, program offerings, and student supports, none of which are documented in the available data. A family considering this school should treat the missing information as a prompt to visit, ask for the state report card, and talk to teachers and administrators about what the school offers academically and how it supports students who need extra help.
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