Original Research by School Decision on New London High
NewLondon High is a regular public high school serving grades nine through twelve, part of the New London School District in Waupaca County. With an enrollment of well over six hundred students, it is a sizable high school for this part of Wisconsin. The school sits on Klatt Road, separated from the downtown core of New London, a small city at the confluence of the Wolf and Embarrass Rivers. The city itself has a stable population, a river-based recreation economy, and a historic downtown that hosts annual festivals.
The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up most of the remainder and very small shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. Roughly a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of moderate economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided.
The most significant feature of this profile is what is absent. State testing results were not available in the data for this school, so there is no reported measure of academic proficiency in any subject. The graduation rate, a standard indicator for any high school, was also missing. Without these two core metrics, it is not possible to compare New London High’s academic performance to other schools in Waupaca County or elsewhere. A parent who wants to understand how students perform on state assessments or how many graduate on time would need to ask the school or district directly for that information. Similarly, data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, course access, and staffing was not included.
The school’s program offerings were also not reported. That means there is no public record in this data of Advanced Placement courses, dual-credit programs, career and technical education pathways, or other academic tracks. Again, a family looking for a specific academic pathway would need to investigate further with the school.
Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to the rest of Wisconsin and the nation. The median home value in the zip code covering New London is below both the state and national medians, though values have seen a noticeable increase over the past year. The local unemployment rate is close to the national average, and median household income is roughly in line with the U.S. figure.
The community is oriented around its rivers—fishing, boating, tubing, and trails are prominent. The city has several parks, a historic museum, and a sister-city relationship with Killaloe, Ireland, established recently. The school district is a major local employer, but other large private employers were not identified in the data.
For a family, the lack of achievement and outcome data makes it difficult to evaluate New London High on typical academic benchmarks. The school profile is otherwise regular and conventional: a typical Wisconsin high school serving a small city and its surrounding rural areas. Families who place a high priority on test scores or graduation rates will want to seek that information from the district before making a decision. Those who are comfortable with a mid-sized high school in a river-town setting and who plan to engage directly with school staff to learn about course offerings and supports may find it a reasonable fit. The available data does not suggest either strong or weak performance; it simply does not provide enough to form a judgment.
See more original research from School Decision →