1,633 students in 2024-25, −0.9% over five years while the regional peer median moved −2.3%.
Forward Exam results average −0.00 (ELA) and −0.20 (math) on a z scale over the last three tested years, where 0 is the average Wisconsin district. ACT composite: 19.6 against a statewide median of 19.2.
$18,884 total cost per member in 2024-25, above the regional peer median of $17,394 and above the statewide median of $18,324.
The school tax rate is 7.11 mills (2025-26), against a statewide K-12 median of 6.90; the 2025-26 levy is $11.4M, 41% of it referendum-approved debt.
$12,435 per member under the state revenue limit, against a statewide K-12 median of $13,575; the district has never asked voters to exceed the limit.
Sheboygan Falls enrolled 1,633 students in 2024-25 (September membership). Since 2009-10 its enrollment has fallen 9%; the median regional peer shrank 2% and the median Wisconsin district shrank 12%. The chart indexes each series to its 2009-10 level.
Students, 2025-26
| Student group | 2025-26 | 2020-21 | Median WI district |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students with disabilities | 17.5% | 14.9% | 16.6% |
| English learners | 2.5% | 0.2% | 2.4% |
| Economically disadvantaged | 31.5% | 31.9% | 36.7% |
| White | 79.7% | 85.6% | 85.3% |
| Hispanic | 8.2% | 7.0% | 6.8% |
| Two or More | 5.2% | 3.2% | 3.9% |
| Asian | 4.0% | 2.3% | 0.9% |
| Black | 2.0% | 1.3% | 1.0% |
| Amer Indian | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Pacific Isle | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Community (ACS 2024)
| Measure | Sheboygan Falls | Median WI district |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,301 | $77,317 |
| Poverty rate | 7.2% | 8.3% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or more | 28.8% | 25.4% |
| Households with children | 23.8% | 25.9% |
| Residents 65 and older | 20.5% | 20.5% |
| Median home value | $252,100 | $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 Sheboygan Falls averaged $211,380, 10% below the median of the 14 districts within 25 miles ($235,500). That ranks 11th of 15 in the area and at the 53rd percentile of Wisconsin districts (state median $205,920).
| ACS 5-year release | Sheboygan Falls | Nearby median | Difference | Wisconsin median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–20 | $164,300 | $201,900 | −19% | $172,200 |
| 2017–21 | $188,300 | $210,250 | −10% | $182,750 |
| 2018–22 | $216,900 | $242,500 | −11% | $210,250 |
| 2019–23 | $235,300 | $256,650 | −8% | $227,050 |
| 2020–24 | $252,100 | $274,100 | −8% | $241,800 |
| Five-release average | $211,380 | $235,500 | −10% | $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 Sheboygan Falls's: Kohler (2 mi, $325,560); Kewaskum (25 mi, $300,060); Northern Ozaukee (18 mi, $289,340); Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah (13 mi, $283,080); Random Lake (14 mi, $253,120); Port Washington-Saukville (22 mi, $251,880); Howards Grove (8 mi, $240,020); Oostburg (7 mi, $230,980); Cedar Grove-Belgium Area (10 mi, $226,440); Plymouth Joint (8 mi, $217,180); Kiel Area (18 mi, $206,200); Valders Area (24 mi, $192,400); New Holstein (21 mi, $188,160); Sheboygan Area (4 mi, $165,880).
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. Sheboygan Falls's revenue-limit membership for 2025-26 is 1,569.
| School year | Enrolled students | Revenue-limit membership | Per enrolled student |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 1,664 | 1,626 | 0.98 |
| 2021-22 | 1,682 | 1,626 | 0.97 |
| 2022-23 | 1,703 | 1,638 | 0.96 |
| 2023-24 | 1,682 | 1,636 | 0.97 |
| 2024-25 | 1,633 | 1,607 | 0.98 |
| 2025-26 | — | 1,569 | — |
DPI revenue limit worksheets (three-year average membership) and DPI September membership. Years without a membership count show a dash.
In spring 2025, 54% of Sheboygan Falls students met or exceeded Forward standards in ELA and 53% 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, Sheboygan Falls averaged −0.00 in ELA and −0.20 in math over the last three tested years, against −0.52 and −0.17 in its first three years on file.
ELA
Math
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
| Measure | Sheboygan Falls | Regional peers | Wisconsin median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance rate | 95.2% | 95.3% | 94.3% | 2024-25 |
| Chronic absenteeism | 6.6% | 6.9% | 10.9% | 2024-25 |
| ACT composite (grade 11) | 19.6 | 20.1 | 19.2 | 2024-25 |
| Enrolled in college the first fall | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 2024-25 |
| Suspensions and expulsions per 1,000 | 56.2 | 18.1 | 33.0 | 2024-25 |
DPI WISEdash files. Chronic absenteeism = share of students missing 10% or more of enrolled days.
Sheboygan Falls's total cost per member was $18,884 in 2024-25, against $17,394 for the median regional peer and $18,324 for the median Wisconsin district. Local property tax paid for 36% of revenue, against 38% statewide.
The revenue limit allows $12,435 per member for 2025-26, below the statewide K-12 median of $13,575 and below the regional peer median of $12,587. The limit counts general state aid and the property tax together, so state aid changes move the levy rather than total revenue. It has never asked voters to exceed the limit.
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 $11.4M, at a rate of 7.11 mills per $1,000 of equalized value (statewide K-12 median 6.90). 41% of the levy repays referendum-approved debt (Fund 39).
| Levy year | Total levy | General fund (Fund 10) | Referendum debt (Fund 39) | Mill rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | $9.7M | $6.7M | $2.8M | 9.41 |
| 2021-22 | $9.7M | $5.4M | $4.1M | 8.76 |
| 2022-23 | $9.7M | $5.1M | $4.3M | 8.14 |
| 2023-24 | $10.5M | $5.7M | $4.4M | 7.90 |
| 2024-25 | $11.4M | $5.6M | $5.5M | 7.90 |
| 2025-26 | $11.4M | $6.4M | $4.7M | 7.11 |
The median residential property-tax bill inside the district, all governments, was $3,300 in 2025 (statewide median $2,766). The full bill on the median home comes to 4.4% of median household income, and the school portion on that home ($252,100) is about $1,992.
Property tax on the median home, by taxing authority, payable 2026
A home at Sheboygan Falls's median value, about $341,000 at the current assessment, owes roughly $4,660 in property tax for taxes payable 2026. The school district's part is $2,420 (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 $230 more than the average regional peer's median home.
| Taxing authority | Sheboygan Falls | Regional peers (average) |
|---|---|---|
| School district | $2,420 47% | $2,370 48% |
| Technical college | $170 3% | $200 4% |
| County | $1,100 21% | $1,000 20% |
| City, village or town | $1,200 23% | $1,180 24% |
| Special districts | $250 5% | $140 3% |
| State school levy tax credit | −$480 | −$460 |
| Total | $4,660 | $4,430 |
| Median home value | $341,000 | $367,000 |
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 $341,000 home at each group's tax rates
Holding the house constant separates tax rates from home values. Taxed at Sheboygan Falls's rates the home owes $4,660; at the regional peers' rates it would owe $4,150 on average.
| Taxing authority | Sheboygan Falls | Regional peers (average) |
|---|---|---|
| School district | $2,420 47% | $2,200 48% |
| Technical college | $170 3% | $180 4% |
| County | $1,100 21% | $950 21% |
| City, village or town | $1,200 23% | $1,110 24% |
| Special districts | $250 5% | $130 3% |
| State school levy tax credit | −$480 | −$430 |
| Total | $4,660 | $4,150 |
| Tax as a share of home value | 1.37% | 1.22% |
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 13 referendum questions since 1997 and approved 5. All were capital questions; the district has never asked voters to exceed the limit.
| Election | Type | Purpose | Amount | Yes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2025 | Capital | INITIAL RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $70,... | $70.0M | 48.9% | Failed |
| Nov 2024 | Capital | The first question asks voters to approve general obligation bonds in an amount not to ... | $78.3M | 44.1% | Failed |
| Nov 2016 | Capital | Issue debt for the cost of constructing a new middle school, taking down the existing m... | $30.9M | 63.2% | Passed |
| Apr 2014 | Capital | Build an auditorium in the new middle school. | $2.6M | 39.5% | Failed |
| Apr 2014 | Capital | Construct a new Middle School, Taking down the existing Middle School, Construct 4K cla... | $27.6M | 45.3% | Failed |
| Apr 2013 | Capital | Acquiring Land, Construct a new Middle School, Construct an early learning addition to ... | $33.8M | 40.5% | Failed |
| Apr 2007 | Capital | Elementary School Addition | $0.9M | 56.7% | Passed |
| Apr 2007 | Capital | Extraordinary Maintenance at all school district buildings. | $2.7M | 59.1% | Passed |
| Apr 2006 | Capital | New Middle School and Major Maintenance Projects | $21.5M | 13.1% | Failed |
| Nov 1998 | Capital | new elementary school | $10.0M | 57.5% | Passed |
| Nov 1998 | Capital | indoor swimming pool | $2.0M | 59.8% | Passed |
| Oct 1997 | Capital | new elementary and remodel ms | $14.1M | 37.6% | Failed |
| Oct 1997 | Capital | community swimming pool | $2.0M | 47.7% | Failed |
DPI referenda file, 1993 onward.
83% of Sheboygan Falls's teachers stayed in the district into 2025-26, against 93% for the median regional peer and 91% statewide; 11% left Wisconsin public schools. Average teacher salary was $61,175, against $63,243 for the median peer and $61,273 statewide.
Staff by role, 2016-17 to 2025-26
| Role | Headcount, first | Headcount, last | Change | Peer median change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administrators | 12 | 11 | −8% | 0% |
| Teachers | 119 | 114 | −4% | −1% |
| Aides/Paraprofessionals | 32 | 34 | +6% | +3% |
| Pupil Services | 15 | 12 | −20% | +13% |
| Other | 65 | 66 | +2% | −4% |
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 Sheboygan Falls 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 Sheboygan Falls 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.
| District | County | CESA | Locale | Miles away | Enrollment | Cost per member |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kohler | Sheboygan | 07 | Suburb | 4 | 475 | $21,644 |
| Oostburg | Sheboygan | 07 | Rural | 6 | 976 | $16,315 |
| Sheboygan Area | Sheboygan | 07 | City | 6 | 10,185 | $16,363 |
| Plymouth Joint | Sheboygan | 07 | Town | 8 | 2,107 | $16,905 |
| Howards Grove | Sheboygan | 07 | Suburb | 9 | 853 | $17,417 |
| Cedar Grove-Belgium Area | Sheboygan | 07 | Rural | 12 | 928 | $17,371 |
| Random Lake | Sheboygan | 07 | Rural | 12 | 736 | $20,068 |
| Kiel Area | Manitowoc | 07 | Town | 15 | 1,226 | $18,035 |
| Port Washington-Saukville | Ozaukee | 01 | Suburb | 22 | 2,574 | $20,273 |
| Kewaskum | Washington | 06 | Suburb | 22 | 1,866 | $14,985 |
| West Bend | Washington | 06 | Suburb | 27 | 6,272 | $16,242 |
| North Fond du Lac | Fond du Lac | 06 | Suburb | 33 | 1,393 | $17,864 |
“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.