Valders High

Valders High is a tight-knit senior high in Valders, Wisconsin, one of the schools within Valders Area School District. The school works with 291 students in grades 9 through 12. That puts it 39% smaller than the typical public school in Wisconsin, which averages around 475 students.

Across the 3 schools in Valders Area School District (961 students total), Valders High accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Valders High records that nearly all students (89%) are White. The remainder looks like 8% Hispanic, 2% multiracial. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

On the income-and-resources front, The school lists 25 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 11.7:1. The state averages around 14.6:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 23% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. Set against Manitowoc County (around 40%), the school's rate is somewhat below typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Valders High falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 63.5%; this one comes in at 44.8%, -18.8 points off the demographic line.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Manitowoc County indicate median household income runs about $69,148, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Valders High is one of 30 public schools in Manitowoc County (combined enrollment of about 10,090 students).

The closest other public school is Valders Middle, roughly 0.0 miles away. Within five miles, there are 2 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Valders High comes 5th of 8 in the immediate cluster, beneath the nearby-schools average of 47.1%.

The school occupies a low-density site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count shrank 17%: 352 students in 2018 compared to 291 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 94% to 89% across the same window. Class-load math has fell: from 13.1:1 in 2018 to 11.7:1 in 2025.

On the community side, members of the Valders High community share and discuss enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Members of the school community can share what they know.