Copper Lake School

Located at W4380 Copper Lake Ave, in Irma, Wisconsin, Copper Lake School is a rural-scale secondary school that instructs 14 students (grades 7 through 12), operated by Wisconsin Department of Corrections. That puts it 97% below the typical public school in Wisconsin, which averages around 475 students.

Wisconsin Department of Corrections comprises 13 schools with combined enrollment of 159 students; Copper Lake School is among them.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Copper Lake School lists that the most-represented group is White (50%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups. Beyond that, the school lists 29% Native American, 14% Black, 7% Hispanic. By comparison, Lincoln County as a whole is about 94% White, so the school skews meaningfully less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 1 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 18.7:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 14.6:1 average.

Around the school, census data for Lincoln County shows median household earnings sit near $68,164, about 20% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and the poverty rate sits near 7%. Copper Lake School is one of 12 public schools in Lincoln County (combined enrollment of about 3,880 students).

The closest other public school is DOC: Lincoln Hills/Copper Lake School, roughly 0.0 miles away. Within ten miles, there are 4 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas.

Geographically, the school is in an outlying area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Copper Lake School's enrollment has declined 22% since 2018, when it stood at 18 (now 14). Over the same period, the Black share fell from 61% to 14%.

On the community side, members of the Copper Lake School community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.