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Onalaska School District report card score rises to 71.5; math growth drives gains
Summary
Onalaska reported a state accountability score of 71.5, moving the district to "exceeding expectations" with notable gains in math growth and value‑added measures; officials flagged declining enrollment and lagging ELA performance in some subgroups.
The Onalaska School District reported an accountability score of 71.5 for the most recent report card, a rise from 68.2 last year that officials said moves the district from "meeting expectations" to "exceeding expectations." Tracey, speaking to the board, said, "Our score is 71.5, which means our district exceeds expectations," and framed the result as the outcome of concerted instructional work districtwide.
District presenters told the board the score reflects a mix of higher achievement and particularly strong growth in math. The district reported math growth this year at 83.1 (up from 73.6), and described value‑added growth increases across multiple student groups; S2 noted that Onalaska now ranks at or above many peer districts in both achievement and growth measures.
Administrators said enrollment has declined slightly (reported as falling from 3,007 to 2,970) and that the percentage of students identified as economically disadvantaged rose by about 2 percentage points, a shift that changed how state weighting affected the district score. The presentation also noted that chronic absenteeism data lags by two years and was reported at 22 percent for the 2022–23 school year.
Officials highlighted targeted interventions planned or under way: sustained professional development in math, expanded phonics and phonemic awareness in K–2, continued refinement of tiered intervention systems, and focused coaching to raise on‑track and graduation outcomes for identified target groups. The board was told the district has conditionally approved approximately $38,462 in early‑college credits the district would pay so far and that some career courses (for example CNA) have multiple student requests.
The report included technical context on how the state changed assessment standard setting and how that affected achievement percentages statewide; presenters emphasized that some year‑to‑year shifts reflect recalibration of standards rather than only local performance changes. Board members pressed for continued attention to ELA growth for targeted subgroups and for translating attendance gains into higher achievement.
Next steps identified by district leaders included carrying report‑card findings into the strategic plan (professional development, targeted coaching and intervention refinement) and continuing building‑level implementation updates to the board.
