Northwoods Reporter

Spooner Elementary School had the highest enrollment among Washburn County schools, welcoming 363 students during the 2024-25 academic year, according to a report from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Of all the students welcomed in the 2024-25 school year, 50.4% identified themselves as girls, and 49.6% as boys.

Data also showed that most of the students were white, accounting for 90.4% of the Spooner Elementary School's total enrollment.

Among the 15 schools in Washburn County, Spooner High School ranked second in enrollment numbers with 361 students, while Shell Lake Junior/Senior High School welcomed 300 students and ranked third in the 2024-25 school year.

Spooner Elementary School is a part of the Spooner Area School District, which roughly covers schools within Washburn County with its main office in Spooner.

In the previous school year, Spooner High School had the highest number of students among Washburn County schools.

In 2022, the teacher-to-student ratio was approximately 1:14 in Wisconsin classrooms, compared to the national average of 1:16.

Wisconsin ranks 22nd in the U.S. for public education spending, with an annual expenditure of over $16,500 per pupil, totaling $13.8 billion.

School Name	City	Total School Enrollment
Spooner Elementary School	Spooner	363
Spooner High School	Spooner	361
Shell Lake Junior/Senior High School	Shell Lake	300
Spooner Middle School	Spooner	276
Shell Lake Elementary (3-6)	Shell Lake	153
Northwood High/Middle School	Minong	140
Northwood Elementary School	Minong	133
Shell Lake Primary (K-2)	Shell Lake	131
Birchwood Elementary School	Birchwood	86
Birchwood High School	Birchwood	59
Birchwood Middle School	Birchwood	36
Birchwood Public Montessori	Birchwood	25
NorthStar Community Charter School	Minong	20
Bobcat Virtual Academy	Birchwood	11
Northwood Virtual Charter School	Minong	3