Solon Springs School, Solon Springs WI

Original Research by School Decision on Solon Springs School

Solon Springs School is the single public school serving the village of Solon Springs and the surrounding town in rural Douglas County, Wisconsin. It is a regular public school covering pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade under one roof, a structure that gives the school a community-anchor feel in a very small village. The student body is small and overwhelmingly white, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is not a charter or magnet school.

Academically, the picture is mixed and shaped by tiny class sizes. In the most recent state testing, results varied sharply by grade and subject. Upper elementary and middle school grades showed solid to strong proficiency in math, with one grade level performing at a high level and another near that mark. Eighth grade also turned in strong results in social studies and posted middle-of-the-road proficiency in English language arts and science. But some grades struggled: one grade level recorded no students reaching proficiency in either math or English language arts, and another had very low results in several subjects. Because each tested group contains only a handful of students, a single year's results can swing dramatically and may not predict future performance. A parent may want to look into how the school supports students in the early and middle grades where scores were lower.

The school's overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, placed it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Douglas County. That comparison set is small, with only three districts, so the position is a meaningful signal but should be read with that narrow frame in mind.

Graduation rate data was not available here, though the school serves all high school grades. Chronic absenteeism data was also missing. A parent may want to ask the school directly about both figures, as they are common indicators of student engagement and support.

The village of Solon Springs is a quiet, entirely rural community surrounded by lakes and forest. Its history is rooted in the lumber industry and mineral springs, and today it offers limited commercial activity with some tourism drawn by natural amenities like Lucius Woods County Park, Upper St. Croix Lake, and the North Country Trail. The population has seen modest growth over the past decade, and home values have appreciated noticeably, though the village remains small and development is limited. Many residents likely commute roughly thirty miles to the Duluth-Superior area for employment. The school itself is integrated into the compact village layout, with the municipal hall and school serving as civic anchors. There is no traditional walkable downtown, and the street life is minimal.

The Solon Springs School District, to which the school belongs, did not have any recent parent-relevant changes publicly reported, such as referendums, property-tax shifts, or curriculum overhauls, meaning the district has operated without major structural news in the observable period.

For a family considering this school, the central question is fit. The setting is deeply rural and the school is the entire community's campus from kindergarten through senior year. The academic data suggests a school where some grades perform well while others lag, and the small numbers mean that a single cohort can change the picture. A parent who values a small, close-knit school where their child will be known by teachers across all years may find that appealing. A parent focused on consistently strong test scores across all grades may want to ask more about how the school addresses the weaker spots. The lack of reported graduation and absenteeism data is a gap worth pursuing directly with the school.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 33% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 24% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 56% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 786%

School 86% · District 69% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 72% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 48% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 33% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 41% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 743%

School 43% · District 50% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 56% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median

Science

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 29% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 37 pts below state median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 64% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 414%

School 14% · District 57% · ▼ 43 pts below district

▼ 51 pts below state median

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 20 pts above state median

This schoolSolon Springs School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income56%45 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income57%Higher-income58%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income33%Higher-income67%33 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income57%Higher-income92%35 pp gap