Darlington High

Located at 11838 Center Hill Rd, in Darlington, Wisconsin, Darlington High is a cozy secondary school that enrolls 263 students (grades 9 through 12), operated by Darlington Community School District. That puts it 45% smaller than the typical public school in Wisconsin, which averages around 475 students.

Across the 2 schools in Darlington Community School District (899 students total), Darlington High accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Darlington High lists that the largest single group is White, at 66% of enrollment. The remainder looks like 33% Hispanic. By comparison, Lafayette County as a whole is about 91% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 11.6:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 14.6:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 41% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Darlington High tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 52.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 58.3%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Lafayette County put the typical household earns roughly $76,462 per year, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Lafayette County runs 17 public schools (combined enrollment of about 2,658 students), of which Darlington High is one.

Darlington Elementary/Middle is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Within ten miles, there are 4 other public schools, a sparser pattern than typical urban areas. Among the 9 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Darlington High ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 50.7%.

The campus sits in a small-town setting.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count increased 27%: 207 students in 2018 compared to 263 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment climbed from 10% to 33% over that span.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Darlington High community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.