Original Research by School Decision on New Richmond High
New Richmond High is a regular public school serving grades nine through twelve in the city of New Richmond, Wisconsin, a small city within the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It is the sole comprehensive high school for the New Richmond School District. The enrollment is substantial for a single high school in this setting, with a grade-level distribution that appears balanced across the four years. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic students and students who identify with two or more races, and very small shares of Asian, Black, and Native American students. More than a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that points to a meaningful presence of economic need within the school population.
State testing data for this school was not available in the provided information, nor was a four-year graduation rate or a chronic absenteeism rate. The comparison across districts in St. Croix County was therefore not possible on those central academic metrics. A parent or resident evaluating the school’s academic performance would want to seek this data directly from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction or from the school itself, as the public record used here does not contain it. The school does serve the full high school grade band, so the absence of a graduation rate is not explained by the grade span; the gap in the data simply means it was not part of the provided record.
The local context for New Richmond is that of a growing small city within the outer ring of a major metro. The housing market shows a typical home value that sits above the national benchmark, and above the state benchmark as well, reflecting the area’s desirability as a more affordable alternative within the Minneapolis-St. Paul orbit. Rent is also above the national norm. The economic context shows a median household income that is in line with the national figure, a homeownership rate that is substantial, and a local unemployment rate that is moderate. The city’s largest employment sectors are manufacturing, health care and social assistance, and retail trade. The built environment is car-dependent, with a traditional small-town downtown and separated school campuses. The population has grown noticeably in recent years, and the city is positioned for continued growth as metropolitan development extends eastward into St. Croix County.
The district itself has experienced notable public conflict. A school board recall election in the spring of 2025 failed, but the effort reflected deep, lasting divisions among community members over COVID-19 policies, book challenges, and the treatment of LGBTQ+ students. Public reporting described the school board as having become a battleground that drew the district into broader state-level political conflicts, and the recall effort was seen by some as a symptom of ongoing divisiveness. Families considering the high school should be aware of this governance turbulence, as it may affect the climate of the school and district.
New Richmond High has no charter or magnet status and does not carry a Title I designation in the provided record. Program offerings, course access, staffing levels, discipline data, and information on special populations such as students with disabilities or English learners were not available in the data. A parent exploring the school will want to ask the school directly about Advanced Placement or dual-credit course availability, career and technical education pathways, special education services, and the kinds of extracurricular and athletic offerings that give a high school its daily life. The physical campus is located at the edge of the city, separate from the downtown core, a common arrangement for a school of this scale.
For a family oriented toward a standard public high school in a growing, metro-adjacent small city, New Richmond High offers a familiar structure. The key open questions are academic performance and graduation outcomes, both absent from the record used here, and the current climate of the district amid its recent public divisions. The housing market is expensive relative to the nation, but still below many closer-in metro communities, and the city’s growth trajectory suggests steady demand. A careful look at the school’s own achievement data and a conversation with current families about the school’s atmosphere would be natural next steps.
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