Total enrollment
7,169
-606 (-8%) vs SY 2017-18
Barron County
Wisconsin · Public K-12
Barron County reports 36 public K-12 schools to NCES, against a population of 46,797, with an average school size of 200 students. That works out to 12 elementary, 8 middle, and 9 high schools.
7-year change in Barron County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
33
-4 (-11%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
85%
was 88%
% Hispanic
7%
was 5%
% Black
2%
was 3%
% Asian
1%
was 1%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Schools
36
8 districts
Enrollment
7,199
NCES CCD
Median income
$65,933
Below Wisconsin avg
Free/reduced lunch
41.3%
Below Wisconsin avg
Elementary
12
2,850 students
Middle
8
1,901 students
High
9
2,183 students
Combined / other
7
265 students
LARGEST DISTRICT
Rice Lake Area School District
2,096 students · 8 districts in Barron County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Barron County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".
County residents
School enrollment
Bachelor's+
23.2%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
6.9%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
2.8%
civilian labor
Median age
45
21.1% under 18
Test scores in Barron County
Latest 2024-25 ELA proficiency, 17 schools ranked. Wisconsin state average: 53.1%.
Top 5 schools (ELA)
- Cameron Elementary· 65.5%
- Prairie Farm Middle· 65.3%
- Turtle Lake Middle· 63.0%
- Cameron Middle· 61.4%
- Hilltop Elementary· 56.3%
Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
- Woodland Elementary· 29.9%
- New Auburn Elementary· 35.3%
- Riverview Middle· 42.9%
- Cumberland Middle· 47.2%
- Tainter Elementary· 49.7%
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice Lake High | Rice Lake | High | 09-12 | 674 | · |
| Rice Lake Middle | Rice Lake | Middle | 05-08 | 622 | · |
| Tainter Elementary | Rice Lake | Elementary | PK-04 | 445 | · |
| Cameron Elementary | Cameron | Elementary | PK-04 | 432 | · |
| Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Roselawn Elementary | Chetek | Elementary | PK-05 | 429 | · |
| Cumberland Elementary | Cumberland | Elementary | PK-04 | 334 | · |
| Woodland Elementary | Barron | Elementary | PK-04 | 324 | · |
| Cameron Middle | Cameron | Middle | 05-08 | 319 | · |
| Barron High | Barron | High | 09-12 | 310 | · |
| Cumberland High | Cumberland | High | 09-12 | 285 | · |
| Riverview Middle | Barron | Middle | 05-08 | 282 | · |
| Cameron High | Cameron | High | 09-12 | 279 | · |
| Cumberland Middle | Cumberland | Middle | 05-08 | 256 | · |
| Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High | Chetek | High | 09-12 | 254 | · |
| Hilltop Elementary | Rice Lake | Elementary | KG-04 | 251 | · |
| Turtle Lake Elementary | Turtle Lake | Elementary | PK-05 | 215 | · |
| Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Middle | Chetek | Middle | 06-08 | 204 | · |
| Cameron Academy of Virtual Education | Cameron | Combined | PK-12 | 134 | · |
| New Auburn Elementary | New Auburn | Elementary | PK-05 | 132 | · |
| Prairie Farm Elementary | Prairie Farm | Elementary | PK-05 | 125 | · |
| Prairie Farm High | Prairie Farm | High | 09-12 | 125 | · |
| Turtle Lake High | Turtle Lake | High | 09-12 | 119 | · |
| New Auburn High | New Auburn | High | 09-12 | 99 | · |
| Turtle Lake Middle | Turtle Lake | Middle | 06-08 | 96 | · |
| Haugen Elementary | Haugen | Elementary | PK-04 | 83 | · |
| Prairie Farm Middle | Prairie Farm | Middle | 06-08 | 73 | · |
| Barron Area Montessori School | Almena | Elementary | PK-06 | 59 | · |
| Island City Virtual Academy | Cumberland | Combined | PK-12 | 49 | · |
| New Auburn Middle | New Auburn | Middle | 06-08 | 49 | · |
| North Star Academy | Cameron | High | 09-12 | 38 | · |
| Link2Learn Virtual Charter School | Chetek | Combined | PK-12 | 37 | · |
| Advanced Learning Academy of Wisconsin | Barron | Combined | KG-12 | 30 | · |
| Hilltop Day Care and Preschool | Rice Lake | Elementary | PK-PK | 21 | · |
| Laker Online | Turtle Lake | Combined | KG-12 | 15 | · |
| Head Start | Rice Lake | Combined | M-M | · | · |
| Island City Academy | Cumberland | Combined | M-M | · | · |
Cities in Barron County
About Barron County
In Wisconsin, Barron County is a small county of about 46,797 residents. 36 public schools across the county instructs about 7,199 students between them.
Looking at the broader picture, census numbers show typical household earnings sit around $65,933, 23% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate is around 7%. That income level is 10% below the Wisconsin median.
On the level-by-level breakdown, Barron County is made up of 12 elementary schools (2,850 students), 8 middle schools (1,901), 9 high schools (2,183), and 7 combined or other schools.
Rice Lake Area School District is the biggest district by enrollment, covering about 2,096 students across Barron County.
Trend over the past 7 years. Combined enrollment now sits at 7,169 students, decreased 8% from the 7,775 reported in SY 2017-18. Over that span, Barron County lost 4 schools, going from 37 to 33.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Barron County discusses enrollment trends, district policy changes, and bus-route updates. Anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools is welcome to weigh in.
Frequently asked questions
Barron County school rankings
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data