Wisconsin · Pulaski · Brown County · CESA 07

Pulaski Community School District

District briefing, fall 2026: survey results alongside enrollment, achievement, finances and property taxes.

On the ballot · November 3, 2026

Pulaski Community School District: one referendum question

Shall the Pulaski Community School District, Brown, Oconto, Shawano and Outagamie Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $59,800,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school facility improvement project consisting of: construction of an addition and renovations at Lannoye Elementary School, including for classrooms, special education, and support spaces; renovations at Pulaski Community Middle School in Career and Technology Education (CTE), including Technology and Engineering Education, Agriscience, Family and Consumer Science, and Business and Information Technology classroom spaces, and conversion of the existing pool to a multi-purpose activity facility; construction of additions and renovations at Pulaski High School, including for a community swimming pool facility, a fitness/weight center, wrestling space, additions and renovations to Career and Technology Education (CTE) classroom spaces in select program areas, renovations to classrooms and labs, and construction of tennis courts and parking lot expansion; district-wide capital maintenance, building systems and site improvements; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?

Source: county clerk notice

Enrollment
4,204
2024-25
Revenue-limit members
3,942
2025-26 funding count
Enrollment, 5 yr
+2.0%
headcount change · peers +0.1%
Forward ELA z
+0.49
last 3 tested years
Cost / member
$16,265
2024-25
Mill rate
6.94
statewide K-12 6.90
Home value
+36%
5-yr avg vs. 17 nearby districts
Survey responses
998
latest staff + parent
Enrollment

4,204 students in 2024-25, +2.0% over five years while the regional peer median moved +0.1%.

Achievement

Forward Exam results average +0.49 (ELA) and +0.51 (math) on a z scale over the last three tested years, where 0 is the average Wisconsin district. ACT composite: 19.4 against a statewide median of 19.2.

Spending

$16,265 total cost per member in 2024-25, below the regional peer median of $17,757 and below the statewide median of $18,324.

Taxes

The school tax rate is 6.94 mills (2025-26), against a statewide K-12 median of 6.90; the 2025-26 levy is $22.4M, 27% of it referendum-approved debt.

Revenue limit

$12,748 per member under the state revenue limit, against a statewide K-12 median of $13,575; voters have decided 3 operating questions, passing 1, most recently Nov 2022 (non-recurring, passed).

Survey results

998 parents and staff responses in the latest surveys. The lowest-rated area is voice & supervisor support among staff (17th percentile among surveyed districts).

School Perceptions surveyed Pulaski's parents and staff. Each index below averages several survey items on a 1–5 scale. The percentile places the district among every Wisconsin district that took the same survey that school year; 50th is the middle.

Parent survey, 2024-25 n = 638

IndexDistrict (1–5)StatewideRegionalPercentile among surveyed districtsChange vs. prior survey
Child experience4.144.033.9766th+0.11
Communication and involvement4.003.973.9052nd+0.12
District governance3.653.643.3938th+0.20

Likelihood to recommend the district (0–10): 8.05 in 2024-25, statewide median 7.46.

Staff survey, 2024-25 n = 360

IndexDistrict (1–5)StatewideRegionalPercentile among surveyed districtsChange vs. prior survey
Resource adequacy4.194.084.1669th+0.05
District governance3.343.493.4625th+0.20
Educational quality3.673.773.7922nd+0.02
Student discipline2.663.002.9517th+0.03
Voice & supervisor support3.593.743.7617th+0.02

Likelihood to recommend the district (0–10): 7.24 in 2024-25, statewide median 7.24.

Statewide = mean across surveyed Wisconsin districts; regional = surveyed districts in the same region. Change compares the district's index with its previous survey of the same audience.

Pulaski enrolled 4,204 students in 2024-25 (September membership). Since 2009-10 its enrollment has grown 9%; the median regional peer grew 5% and the median Wisconsin district shrank 12%. The chart indexes each series to its 2009-10 level. Private schools inside the district's boundaries enroll 2.5% of school-age children (2024-25), against 9.7% in the median district.

PulaskiRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
1121059892852009-102013-142017-182024-25

Students, 2025-26

Student group2025-262020-21Median WI district
Students with disabilities14.2%14.8%16.6%
English learners1.5%1.2%2.4%
Economically disadvantaged18.8%22.9%36.7%
White87.6%89.8%85.3%
Hispanic4.3%3.5%6.8%
Two or More3.8%2.9%3.9%
Amer Indian2.5%2.2%0.4%
Asian1.0%1.0%0.9%
Black0.8%0.5%1.0%
Pacific Isle0.1%0.1%0.1%

Community (ACS 2024)

MeasurePulaskiMedian WI district
Median household income$97,828$77,317
Poverty rate4.8%8.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more36.6%25.4%
Households with children31.8%25.9%
Residents 65 and older13.4%20.5%
Median home value$327,400$241,800

Home values against nearby districts

Across the five most recent Census releases (2016–20 to 2020–24), the median owner-occupied home in Pulaski averaged $276,620, 36% above the median of the 17 districts within 25 miles ($203,760). That ranks 4th of 18 in the area and at the 78th percentile of Wisconsin districts (state median $205,920).

ACS 5-year releasePulaskiNearby medianDifferenceWisconsin median
2016–20$229,800$173,000+33%$172,200
2017–21$245,200$183,100+34%$182,750
2018–22$283,000$206,000+37%$210,250
2019–23$297,700$222,700+34%$227,050
2020–24$327,400$238,200+37%$241,800
Five-release average$276,620$203,760+36%$205,920

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, median value of owner-occupied homes (table B25077), in nominal dollars. Consecutive releases share four of their five survey years, so the average is a smoothed level rather than five independent years. Nearby districts are those whose NCES office address lies within 25 miles of Pulaski's: De Pere (19 mi, $285,140); Howard-Suamico (9 mi, $283,900); Freedom Area (20 mi, $282,520); West De Pere (18 mi, $265,900); Wrightstown Community (24 mi, $262,540); Shiocton (23 mi, $220,800); Ashwaubenon (16 mi, $214,240); Seymour Community (12 mi, $213,900); Bonduel (11 mi, $203,760); Oconto Falls Public (15 mi, $196,680); Green Bay Area Public (15 mi, $185,480); Lena (22 mi, $167,800); Suring Public (24 mi, $166,180); Shawano (19 mi, $157,940); Oconto Unified (24 mi, $154,120); Gillett (15 mi, $132,700); Menominee Indian (23 mi, $99,680).

Enrollment and the funding count

Wisconsin's revenue limit, which caps what a district may raise from general state aid and the property tax combined, is set per member using a three-year rolling average of membership: each September's full-time-equivalent count plus 40% of summer-school FTE. Pulaski's revenue-limit membership for 2025-26 is 3,942.

School yearEnrolled studentsRevenue-limit membershipPer enrolled student
2020-213,8473,8781.01
2021-224,1183,8960.95
2022-234,1183,8860.94
2023-244,1473,9380.95
2024-254,2043,9420.94
2025-26—3,942—

DPI revenue limit worksheets (three-year average membership) and DPI September membership. Years without a membership count show a dash.

In spring 2025, 59% of Pulaski students met or exceeded Forward standards in ELA and 64% in math, against 54% and 57% in the median Wisconsin district.

On a z scale, which puts every year on the same footing across the 2023-24 rescaling, Pulaski averaged +0.49 in ELA and +0.51 in math over the last three tested years, against −0.25 and +0.36 in its first three years on file.

PulaskiRegional peers (median)Average Wisconsin district (0)

ELA

+0.74+0.42+0.10−0.22−0.542015-162019-202024-25

Math

+0.85+0.64+0.42+0.210.002015-162019-202024-25

Wisconsin rescaled the Forward Exam in 2023-24. Z-scores standardize each year's result against every comparable district that year (0 = the average district; +1 = one standard deviation above), so years on either side of a test or cut-score change can be compared. Testing was canceled in spring 2020.

Attendance, ACT, college-going and discipline

MeasurePulaskiRegional peersWisconsin medianYear
Attendance rate94.1%94.6%94.3%2024-25
Chronic absenteeism11.4%10.7%10.9%2024-25
ACT composite (grade 11)19.419.319.22024-25
Enrolled in college the first fall100.0%100.0%100.0%2024-25
Suspensions and expulsions per 1,00017.734.433.02024-25

DPI WISEdash files. Chronic absenteeism = share of students missing 10% or more of enrolled days.

Pulaski's total cost per member was $16,265 in 2024-25, against $17,757 for the median regional peer and $18,324 for the median Wisconsin district. Local property tax paid for 31% of revenue, against 38% statewide.

PulaskiRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
$19,247$16,863$14,479$12,095$9,7112006-072010-112014-152018-192024-25

The revenue limit allows $12,748 per member for 2025-26, below the statewide K-12 median of $13,575 and below the regional peer median of $12,899. The limit counts general state aid and the property tax together, so state aid changes move the levy rather than total revenue. Voters have decided 3 operating questions, passing 1, most recently nov 2022 (non-recurring, passed).

PulaskiRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
$14,226$12,545$10,864$9,183$7,5022005-062009-102013-142017-182021-222025-26

Total district cost per member and revenue shares: DPI comparative cost data. Revenue limit: DPI revenue limit worksheets; statewide comparison is K-12 districts only.

The district's 2025-26 levy is $22.4M, at a rate of 6.94 mills per $1,000 of equalized value (statewide K-12 median 6.90). 27% of the levy repays referendum-approved debt (Fund 39).

Levy yearTotal levyGeneral fund (Fund 10)Referendum debt (Fund 39)Mill rate
2020-21$15.5M$11.6M$1.6M7.63
2021-22$13.8M$11.4M$0.1M6.32
2022-23$15.3M$10.9M$2.0M6.22
2023-24$21.7M$14.7M$4.2M7.66
2024-25$21.7M$13.6M$6.1M6.94
2025-26$22.4M$14.0M$6.1M6.94
PulaskiRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
10.979.658.347.035.712006-072010-112014-152018-192025-26

The median residential property-tax bill inside the district, all governments, was $3,679 in 2025 (statewide median $2,766). The full bill on the median home comes to 3.7% of median household income, and the school portion on that home ($327,400) is about $2,272.

Property tax on the median home, by taxing authority, payable 2026

A home at Pulaski's median value, about $431,000 at the current assessment, owes roughly $5,710 in property tax for taxes payable 2026. The school district's part is $2,990 (47% before credits); the rest goes to the county, the city, village or town, the technical college district and special districts such as sanitary and lake districts, less the state's school levy tax credit. That bill is $1,360 more than the average regional peer's median home.

Taxing authorityPulaskiRegional peers (average)
School district$2,990 47%$2,300 48%
Technical college$230 4%$190 4%
County$1,280 20%$1,140 24%
City, village or town$1,010 16%$930 19%
Special districts$790 13%$250 5%
State school levy tax credit−$590−$450
Total$5,710$4,350
Median home value$431,000$339,000

Each column is the tax on that district's own median home; peer columns average the districts in the group. The percentage is each authority's share of the bill before credits.

The same $431,000 home at each group's tax rates

Holding the house constant separates tax rates from home values. Taxed at Pulaski's rates the home owes $5,710; at the regional peers' rates it would owe $5,560 on average.

Taxing authorityPulaskiRegional peers (average)
School district$2,990 47%$2,910 47%
Technical college$230 4%$240 4%
County$1,280 20%$1,470 24%
City, village or town$1,010 16%$1,210 20%
Special districts$790 13%$300 5%
State school levy tax credit−$590−$570
Total$5,710$5,560
Tax as a share of home value1.33%1.29%

Wisconsin Department of Revenue, Town, Village and City Taxes, 2025 levies (taxes payable 2026): each taxing body's levy over the full value it is spread on. The school rate is the district's own levy over its equalized value; county, municipal, technical college and special-district rates are averages over the towns, villages and cities the district covers, weighted by its value in each, so a home in any one of them pays somewhat more or less. The school levy tax credit is the state-paid credit DOR spreads by municipality; the lottery and gaming credit and first dollar credit, applied per parcel, are not included. Median home value: Census ACS 2024 5-year median for owner-occupied homes, brought to January 1, 2025 values by the change in the district's TIF-out equalized value since 2022. The parcel-based median bill above runs lower because it covers every residential parcel, including vacant lots, condominiums and smaller homes, and is net of the per-parcel credits.

Levy by fund and equalized value: DPI and Department of Revenue. Typical bill: parcel-level residential bills inside the district boundary; school portion applies the school mill rate to the ACS median home value and is an estimate.

Voters have decided 10 referendum questions since 1997 and approved 4.

ElectionTypePurposeAmountYesResult
Nov 2022OperatingExceed the revenue limit for purposes consisting of compensating and providing benefits...$8.5M53.4%Passed
Nov 2022CapitalIssue Debt in the amount of $69,800,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a ...$69.8M58.7%Passed
Apr 2015OperatingExceed the revenue limit on a non-recurring basis to fund the cost of technology devices.$2.7M33.6%Failed
Apr 2013CapitalIssue Debt in the Amount of $7,935,000 to contract a new community pool and remodel the...$7.9M35.6%Failed
Apr 2013CapitalIssue debt in the amount of $9,130,000 for elementary and middle school remodeling and ...$9.1M42.2%Failed
Apr 2013OperatingExceed the revenue cap by $650,000 for 7 years for technology equipment and infrastruct...$4.5M45.1%Failed
Apr 2013CapitalIssue debt in the amount of $4,370,000 for district-wide maintenance and remodeling pro...$4.4M50.1%Passed
Nov 2012Capitalnew athletic complex and pool, building additions and renovations, technology upgrades$33.2M37.1%Failed
Feb 2004Capitalrefinance district's Fund 38 used to fund building and site improvements and acquisitio...$2.6M42.6%Failed
May 1997Capitalnew high school, renovation & technolgoy$31.8M73.1%Passed

DPI referenda file, 1993 onward.

92% of Pulaski's teachers stayed in the district into 2025-26, against 91% for the median regional peer and 91% statewide; 4% left Wisconsin public schools. Average teacher salary was $65,720, against $63,155 for the median peer and $61,273 statewide.

PulaskiRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
95%93%91%89%86%2016-172018-192020-212022-232024-25

Staff by role, 2016-17 to 2025-26

RoleHeadcount, firstHeadcount, lastChangePeer median change
Administrators1620+25%+15%
Teachers268300+12%+6%
Aides/Paraprofessionals6075+25%+8%
Pupil Services2025+25%+15%
Other178154−13%−2%

DPI All Staff files: distinct people by role. Peer median change across the regional peers.

DPI All Staff files, person-level, linked year to year.

Wherever this briefing sets Pulaski beside other districts, it uses the group below. A group figure is the middle value across its members (the property-tax tables on the median home use the average instead), each counted equally, so one large member cannot dominate it.

Regional peers 12 districts

The 12 Wisconsin districts of the same type most like Pulaski on four measures: distance and CESA (30% of the weight), total cost per member (30%), the Census child poverty rate (25%) and locale, meaning city, suburb, town or rural (15%). Districts under 400 students are not eligible.

DistrictCountyCESALocaleMiles awayEnrollmentCost per member
Howard-SuamicoBrown07Suburb95,732$18,095
BonduelShawano08Rural11795$17,648
Seymour CommunityOutagamie07Town131,962$17,978
Oconto Falls PublicOconto08Town141,797$18,239
Oconto UnifiedOconto08Town211,030$16,866
ShawanoShawano08Town212,384$18,599
Wrightstown CommunityBrown07Town261,373$15,504
Luxemburg-CascoKewaunee07Rural271,830$15,451
DenmarkBrown07Rural291,511$16,487
BrillionCalumet07Town35958$17,065
KewauneeKewaunee07Town36955$18,228
AlgomaKewaunee07Town36707$17,866

“Wisconsin median” is the middle value across Wisconsin districts; property-tax and revenue-limit comparisons use K-12 districts only, because elementary and union high school districts overlap the same territory.