Central Wisconsin News

Among the many ethnicities represented in Portage County schools, white was the most prevalent ethnicity among students in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Of the 9,224 students attending Portage County schools, 79.9% were white. Hispanic students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 8.7% of Portage County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Portage County, representing 80.8% of the student body.

Countywide, Almond-Bancroft Elementary School had the most even distribution of races, which included 79% white students, 18.1% Hispanic students, 2.3% multiracial students, and 0.6% Asian students.

In the 2023-24 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 1% compared to the previous year.

According to the NAEP's 2022 results, there was a significant achievement gap between ethnic groups in Wisconsin. On average, white students outperformed Black students by 40 to 50 points in mathematics and reading. Hispanic students also scored lower than their white peers in both subjects, with an average gap of about 20 points.

School Name	Most Represented Ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Almond-Bancroft Elementary School	White	79%	171
Almond-Bancroft High School	White	71.3%	108
Almond-Bancroft Middle School	White	75.7%	74
Amherst Elementary School	White	94%	351
Amherst High School	White	93.8%	354
Amherst Middle School	White	94.1%	270
Bannach Elementary School	White	82.8%	373
Benjamin Franklin Junior High School	White	71.4%	812
Charles F. Fernandez Center Alternative Learning	White	69.6%	69
Grant Elementary School	White	93.2%	266
Jefferson Elementary School	White	76.2%	265
Juvenile Detention	White	87.5%	8
Kennedy Elementary School	White	86%	171
Madison Elementary School	White	67.9%	339
McDill Elementary School	White	78.2%	335
McKinley Center	White	68.4%	361
P. J. Jacobs Junior High School	White	77.3%	700
Plover-Whiting Elementary School	White	70.2%	459
Point 4 the Future	White	81.9%	425
Point of Discovery School	White	88.2%	127
Preschool Options	White	89.2%	37
Roosevelt Elementary School	White	72.3%	519
Rosholt Elementary School	White	95.7%	257
Rosholt High School	White	96.1%	155
Rosholt Middle School	White	93.4%	61
Stevens Point Area Senior High School	White	78.1%	1,458
Tomorrow River Community Charter School	White	86%	178
Tomorrow River Virtual Charter School (TRVCS)	White	97.9%	47
Washington Elementary School	White	82.1%	474