Original Research by School Decision on Potosi High
Potosi High is a small rural public high school serving grades nine through twelve in the village of Potosi, Grant County, Wisconsin. The school is part of the Potosi School District, which also serves the nearby community of Tennyson. With an enrollment that places it among the smaller high schools in the region, Potosi High offers an intimate setting where students and staff are likely to know each other well.
The student body is predominantly white, with a very small share of Hispanic students and even fewer students identifying as two or more races. About three in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that is moderate for a rural Wisconsin school. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records. The school does not have a charter or magnet designation, and Title I status was not indicated.
Potosi itself is a village of modest size, historically tied to lead mining and later to the Potosi Brewery, which was restored and reopened and now serves as a local landmark and tourist draw. The village’s Main Street corridor is long and thin, and the overall built environment is sparse. Housing values in the area are below the national median, and the local economy relies on the brewery, the school district, agriculture, and small-scale commerce. Growth has been minimal; the population has been stable to slightly declining.
Academically, there is a notable gap in the available record. State testing data for Potosi High was not reported, and therefore no proficiency results are available for any subject or grade. The four-year graduation rate is also missing from the data. These gaps mean that a parent or resident cannot look at standard metrics to assess how students at this school perform on state assessments or how many graduate on time. The missing information may reflect the school’s small size—reporting thresholds can vary—or may simply be absent from the dataset. Either way, anyone considering the school would want to ask the district directly about recent test scores, graduation rates, and postsecondary outcomes.
The comparison fact-set, which places Potosi High relative to districts in Grant County, shows no applicable metrics for proficiency, graduation, or chronic absenteeism, again because the school’s data was not available. This limits the ability to benchmark the school against its neighbors.
Program offerings, course access, staffing, discipline, and attendance data were also not provided. The district brief turned up no recent changes or initiatives of note. So the picture of Potosi High is defined more by what is not known than by what is. What is clear is that this is a very small school in a quiet, rural village. Families who value a close-knit environment and a low student-to-staff ratio—though staffing numbers were not given—may find it appealing. Those who want to compare academic performance or track record will need to gather that information directly from the school or district.
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