Enrollment
43
High
DISTRICT 283 · STATE 475
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HAYWARD COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550627002867
Northern Waters Environmental School
10256 Greenwood Ln, Hayward, WI 54843 · (715) 634-2619 · Sawyer County
GRADES 06–12HIGH43-RURALCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL43 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 36% of Wisconsin public high schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Wisconsin public high schools
Student : Teacher
14.3:1
3 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.7:1 · STATE 14.6:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
44%
19 students
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 42%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 5 | 12% |
| Grade 7 | 9 | 21% |
| Grade 8 | 8 | 19% |
| Grade 9 | 4 | 9% |
| Grade 10 | 9 | 21% |
| Grade 11 | 1 | 2% |
| Grade 12 | 7 | 16% |
Student demographics
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
QUIET COMMUNITY
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START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
Forward Exam 2024-25 . % Meeting or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
47.1%
WI avg 53.1% . -5.8pp since 2023
Math
23.5%
WI avg 54.8% . -5.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 24 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Wisconsin schools, those numbers are about 53 and 55. Reading and writing scores are down about 6 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 6 points.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 47.1% | 23.5% |
| 2023-24 | 52.9% | 29.4% |
% Meeting or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Forward Exam. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
43.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.5%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-7.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 43% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 51% typical for Wisconsin schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Wisconsin's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Where Northern Waters Environmental School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 43 | #481 of 532 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
43
+13 (+43%) vs 2020
Student : Teacher
14.3:1
was 10.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 43 | 3 | 14.3:1 | 44% (19) |
| 2023-24 | 42 | 3 | 14.0:1 | 48% (20) |
| 2022-23 | 31 | 3 | 10.3:1 | 42% (13) |
| 2020-21 | 30 | 3 | 10.0:1 | 50% (15) |
| 2017-18 | 39 | 2 | 19.5:1 | 36% (14) |
| 2015-16 | 38 | 1 | 38.0:1 | 45% (17) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Northern Waters Environmental School.
Since 2017-18: students up 10% (39 to 43); teachers up 50% (2 to 3).
About Northern Waters Environmental School
Northern Waters Environmental School serves students in Hayward, Wisconsin, as a small high school. Students in grades 6 through 12 attend, and enrollment is 43 students. The school's enrollment is 91% smaller than the 475 average for high schools in Wisconsin.
Hayward Community School District operates 6 schools. Combined enrollment is 1,885 students.
White students are the majority at Northern Waters Environmental School, with 79% of enrollment. It is also 9% multiracial, 7% Hispanic, and 5% Native American. That is close to the 78% White share among all Sawyer County residents.
Staffing totals 3 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 14.3:1. That matches the 14.6:1 average for high schools in Wisconsin fairly closely. A measure often used for student poverty, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, stands at 44%. Among public schools in Sawyer County, the average eligibility rate is 55%.
The allk12 Grade for Northern Waters Environmental School is C+. Compared with Wisconsin public high schools, the school scored higher than 36% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
BeatsExpectations compares each school's average proficiency rate on state tests with a prediction based on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. For Northern Waters Environmental School, the prediction is 50.5% and the result is 43.0%.
Sawyer County has these Census figures: the median household income is $60,801, about 27% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 14% of residents are in poverty. In all, Sawyer County has 12 public schools and roughly 2,501 students.
The shortest distance from Northern Waters Environmental School to another public school is about 0.1 miles, to Hayward High. Counting only straight-line distance, 5 other public schools are within five miles. Of the 5 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Northern Waters Environmental School is 3rd on average proficiency.
Its NCES locale code is Rural: Remote: the school is in rural territory far from an urban area. Charter status: Northern Waters Environmental School is a public charter school.
The 2020-21 count was 30 students and the 2024-25 count was 43. A difference that large may reflect a change in which grades the school serves. Students per teacher rose from 10.0 in 2020-21 to 14.3 in 2024-25.
To ask about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs, start a discussion on this page. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Sawyer County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
18,476
Census ACS
Median income
$60,801
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
14%
Below federal line
Schools in county
12
2,501 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hayward Community School District
- Hayward HighHigh · 522 students
- Hayward PrimaryElementary · 403 students
- Hayward MiddleMiddle · 340 students
- Hayward IntermediateElementary · 327 students
- Hayward Ctr for Individualized LearningCombined · 250 students
Other schools in Hayward
- Hayward HighHigh · 522 students
- Hayward PrimaryElementary · 403 students
- Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa SchoolCombined · 389 students
- Hayward MiddleMiddle · 340 students
- Hayward IntermediateElementary · 327 students
- Hayward Ctr for Individualized LearningCombined · 250 students
Nearby schools
- Hayward High0.1 mi · 522
- Hayward Middle0.5 mi · 340
- Hayward Intermediate0.9 mi · 327
- Hayward Primary1.1 mi · 403
- Hayward Ctr for Individualized Learning1.8 mi · 250
- WOLI/Akii'gikinoo'amaading Environmental School8.0 mi · 21
Frequently asked questions
About Northern Waters Environmental SchoolHow large is Northern Waters Environmental School?
Northern Waters Environmental School enrolls approximately 43 students in grades 06-12.
Is Northern Waters Environmental School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Northern Waters Environmental School is a high school covering grades 06-12.
How many students per teacher at Northern Waters Environmental School?
Approximately 14.3:1 students per teacher at Northern Waters Environmental School.
How diverse is Northern Waters Environmental School?
Northern Waters Environmental School reports a student body of 79% White, 7% Hispanic, 9% Two or more.
Who oversees Northern Waters Environmental School?
Northern Waters Environmental School is overseen by Hayward Community School District in Sawyer County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.