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On November 11, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) released the 2024-25 State Report Cards which track student achievement and growth; school-by-school student test performance; and progress toward graduation for every publicly funded school and district in the state. School districts receive an overall score and ranking on a five-star scale. The annual Report Cards are part of the state’s educational accountability system. They include data on multiple indicators for multiple years across four priority areas: achievement, growth, target group outcomes and on-track to graduation.

How Did De Pere Perform?

DPI’s Report Cards showed USDD achieved the 5-star ‘Significantly Exceeds Expectations’ ranking for the 2024-25 school year with a composite score of 87.8. This is 4.6 points higher than last year. It is the second year in a row USDD earned five stars. Only 24 other 4K-12 school districts in the state earned five stars 

“DPI changed how it calculates Report Card scores this year,” says Kathy Van Pay, Director of Elementary Curriculum and Instruction. “But USDD’s track record of year-over-year improvement, regardless of the DPI formula, should leave no doubt about our District’s strong performance.

“At the same time, we know there are achievement gaps among different groups of learners. We will continue focusing on the most effective ways to help all students meet their potential.”

 

 

Semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors. They are among the highest-scoring entrants in each state. 

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 6,930 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $26 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.

Hackel, Patel and Zhang bring to 21 the total number of NMS Semifinalists from De Pere High School since 2019.

Each year, the organization evaluates more than 18,000 schools across the country. Rankings are based on six indicators of school quality:

• College readiness
• Breadth of curriculum
• Scores on state proficiency tests
• Performance in reading, math, and science
• Underserved student performance
• Graduation rates

The weighted scores of those six indicators are transformed so each eligible school receives an overall percentile score between zero and 100. De Pere's score was 93.28. High schools are ranked against peers in descending order of their overall scores. Read more about US News and World Report's ranking methodology.

"We appreciate the recognition," says De Pere High School Principal Roger Allen. "It is one more data point that reflects the hard work being done by our students and staff with the support of families and the broader De Pere community."