Wisconsin · Tomorrow River · Portage County · CESA 05

Tomorrow River School District

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

On the ballot · November 3, 2026

Tomorrow River School District: one referendum question

Shall the School District of the Tomorrow River, Portage County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $1,100,000 per year for three years, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year and ending with the 2029-2030 school year, for non-recurring purposes?

Source: sample ballot

Enrollment
844
2024-25
Revenue-limit members
826
2025-26 funding count
Enrollment, 5 yr
−10.4%
headcount change · peers −5.5%
Forward ELA z
+0.10
last 3 tested years
Cost / member
$19,978
2024-25
Mill rate
7.99
statewide K-12 6.90
Home value
+32%
5-yr avg vs. 12 nearby districts
Survey responses
450
latest staff + parent
Enrollment

844 students in 2024-25, −10.4% over five years while the regional peer median moved −5.5%.

Achievement

Forward Exam results average +0.10 (ELA) and +0.09 (math) on a z scale over the last three tested years, where 0 is the average Wisconsin district. ACT composite: 20.4 against a statewide median of 19.2.

Spending

$19,978 total cost per member in 2024-25, above the regional peer median of $17,390 and above the statewide median of $18,324.

Taxes

The school tax rate is 7.99 mills (2025-26), against a statewide K-12 median of 6.90; the 2025-26 levy is $6.5M, 29% of it referendum-approved debt.

Revenue limit

$13,678 per member under the state revenue limit, against a statewide K-12 median of $13,575; voters have decided 9 operating questions, passing 6, most recently Apr 2024 (non-recurring, passed).

Survey results

450 parents and staff responses in the latest surveys. The lowest-rated area is resource adequacy among staff (5th percentile among surveyed districts).

School Perceptions surveyed Tomorrow River'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, 2021-22 n = 221

IndexDistrict (1–5)StatewideRegionalPercentile among surveyed districtsChange vs. prior survey
District governance3.913.573.6970th—
Child experience4.103.973.9466th—
Communication and involvement4.053.963.8950th—

Staff survey, 2021-22 n = 229

IndexDistrict (1–5)StatewideRegionalPercentile among surveyed districtsChange vs. prior survey
District governance3.833.383.5986th—
Voice & supervisor support3.883.693.7983rd—
Student discipline3.262.903.1080th—
Educational quality3.823.693.7778th—
Resource adequacy3.814.074.145th—

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.

Tomorrow River enrolled 844 students in 2024-25 (September membership). Since 2009-10 its enrollment has fallen 11%; the median regional peer shrank 16% and the median Wisconsin district shrank 12%. The chart indexes each series to its 2009-10 level.

Tomorrow RiverRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
1061009488822009-102013-142017-182024-25

Students, 2025-26

Student group2025-262020-21Median WI district
Students with disabilities11.5%9.6%16.6%
English learners0.8%—2.4%
Economically disadvantaged25.6%31.1%36.7%
White93.3%94.2%85.3%
Hispanic3.4%2.6%6.8%
Two or More2.4%2.2%3.9%
Black0.7%0.6%1.0%
Asian0.2%0.2%0.9%
Pacific Isle0.1%—0.1%
Amer Indian—0.1%0.4%

Community (ACS 2024)

MeasureTomorrow RiverMedian WI district
Median household income$82,692$77,317
Poverty rate5.1%8.3%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more32.6%25.4%
Households with children28.0%25.9%
Residents 65 and older20.9%20.5%
Median home value$283,700$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 Tomorrow River averaged $247,480, 32% above the median of the 12 districts within 25 miles ($186,850). That ranks highest of 13 in the area and at the 68th percentile of Wisconsin districts (state median $205,920).

ACS 5-year releaseTomorrow RiverNearby medianDifferenceWisconsin median
2016–20$217,400$160,250+36%$172,200
2017–21$224,200$167,650+34%$182,750
2018–22$248,500$187,700+32%$210,250
2019–23$263,600$202,500+30%$227,050
2020–24$283,700$220,150+29%$241,800
Five-release average$247,480$186,850+32%$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 Tomorrow River's: Columbus (18 mi, $237,620); Rosholt (12 mi, $223,080); Stevens Point Area Public (14 mi, $207,760); Weyauwega-Fremont (20 mi, $201,680); Iola-Scandinavia (9 mi, $193,520); Waupaca (12 mi, $189,240); Manawa (19 mi, $184,460); Wild Rose (19 mi, $183,480); Almond-Bancroft (15 mi, $178,680); Tri-County Area (20 mi, $155,280); Marion (25 mi, $140,880); Tigerton (23 mi, $136,160).

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. Tomorrow River's revenue-limit membership for 2025-26 is 826.

School yearEnrolled studentsRevenue-limit membershipPer enrolled student
2020-219089211.01
2021-228949041.01
2022-239068930.99
2023-248818791.00
2024-258448571.02
2025-26—826—

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 Tomorrow River students met or exceeded Forward standards in ELA and 56% 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, Tomorrow River averaged +0.10 in ELA and +0.09 in math over the last three tested years, against +0.17 and −0.39 in its first three years on file.

Tomorrow RiverRegional peers (median)Average Wisconsin district (0)

ELA

+0.54+0.24−0.05−0.35−0.642015-162019-202024-25

Math

+0.36+0.03−0.30−0.64−0.972015-162019-202024-25

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

MeasureTomorrow RiverRegional peersWisconsin medianYear
Attendance rate94.8%94.3%94.3%2024-25
Chronic absenteeism9.3%9.9%10.9%2024-25
ACT composite (grade 11)20.418.419.22024-25
Suspensions and expulsions per 1,0004.231.033.02024-25

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

Tomorrow River's total cost per member was $19,978 in 2024-25, against $17,390 for the median regional peer and $18,324 for the median Wisconsin district. Local property tax paid for 35% of revenue, against 38% statewide.

Tomorrow RiverRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
$21,116$18,177$15,238$12,298$9,3592006-072010-112014-152018-192024-25

The revenue limit allows $13,678 per member for 2025-26, above the statewide K-12 median of $13,575 and above the regional peer median of $13,445. 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 9 operating questions, passing 6, most recently apr 2024 (non-recurring, passed).

Tomorrow RiverRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
$14,318$12,666$11,015$9,364$7,7132005-062009-102013-142017-182021-222025-26

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 $6.5M, at a rate of 7.99 mills per $1,000 of equalized value (statewide K-12 median 6.90). 29% of the levy repays referendum-approved debt (Fund 39).

Levy yearTotal levyGeneral fund (Fund 10)Referendum debt (Fund 39)Mill rate
2020-21$4.2M$3.3M$0.8M8.41
2021-22$4.0M$3.2M$0.7M7.29
2022-23$5.7M$3.6M$2.0M9.72
2023-24$4.0M$3.2M$0.7M5.85
2024-25$5.7M$3.9M$1.7M7.71
2025-26$6.5M$4.5M$1.9M7.99
Tomorrow RiverRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
11.439.888.346.805.252006-072010-112014-152018-192025-26

The median residential property-tax bill inside the district, all governments, was $2,905 in 2025 (statewide median $2,766). The full bill on the median home comes to 3.1% of median household income, and the school portion on that home ($283,700) is about $2,187.

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

A home at Tomorrow River's median value, about $390,000 at the current assessment, owes roughly $5,040 in property tax for taxes payable 2026. The school district's part is $3,110 (56% 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 $1,230 more than the average regional peer's median home.

Taxing authorityTomorrow RiverRegional peers (average)
School district$3,110 56%$1,910 46%
Technical college$250 4%$210 5%
County$1,490 27%$1,270 30%
City, village or town$660 12%$670 16%
Special districts$50 1%$130 3%
State school levy tax credit−$520−$370
Total$5,040$3,810
Median home value$390,000$301,000

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 $390,000 home at each group's tax rates

Holding the house constant separates tax rates from home values. Taxed at Tomorrow River's rates the home owes $5,040; at the regional peers' rates it would owe $4,920 on average.

Taxing authorityTomorrow RiverRegional peers (average)
School district$3,110 56%$2,450 45%
Technical college$250 4%$270 5%
County$1,490 27%$1,640 30%
City, village or town$660 12%$870 16%
Special districts$50 1%$170 3%
State school levy tax credit−$520−$480
Total$5,040$4,920
Tax as a share of home value1.29%1.26%

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 17 referendum questions since 2001 and approved 10.

ElectionTypePurposeAmountYesResult
Apr 2024OperatingExceed revenue limit by $900,000 for each of three years for non-recurring purposes.$2.7M51.7%Passed
Apr 2022CapitalConstruction of additions for science, technology, art, general, agricultural science a...$21.3M58.7%Passed
Apr 2022CapitalRenovations to school building to update middle school classrooms, family and consumer ...$4.4M62.3%Passed
Nov 2020OperatingExceed Revenue Limit by $400,000 for each of Three Years for Non-Recurring Purposes$1.2M59.8%Passed
Nov 2015OperatingExceed Revenue Limit by $350,000 for Five Years for Non-Recurring Purposes$1.8M74.7%Passed
Nov 2012CapitalConstructing and furnishing additional classrooms and a production kitchen/cafeteria. R...$8.5M63.8%Passed
Apr 2011Operating5 Year Renewal for Non Recurring Purposes$1.8M60.2%Passed
Nov 2010Operating5 Year Renewal for Non Recurring Purposes$2.0M46.7%Failed
Apr 2010Capitaladding to, repairing, remodeling, renovating, and improving existing school facilities;...$11.9M43.9%Failed
Feb 2006Operating5 year renewal of $350,000 for non-recurring$1.8M58.2%Passed
Jul 2002Capitalremodeling, improving and expanding existing facilities and systems, improving safety a...$1.9M41.3%Failed
Jul 2002Capitalrepairing, remodeling, improving existing school facilities and systems; provide handic...$2.5M55.0%Passed
Apr 2002Capitalrepairing, remodeling, improving existing school facilities and systems; provide handic...$4.4M46.8%Failed
Jun 2001Operatingnon-recurring purposes$1.8M60.6%Passed
May 2001Operatingrecurring purposes$0.5M—Not recorded
Apr 2001Capitalconstruction and remodeling$7.6M44.0%Failed
Apr 2001Operatingrecurring purposes$0.3M46.2%Failed

DPI referenda file, 1993 onward.

95% of Tomorrow River's teachers stayed in the district into 2025-26, against 92% for the median regional peer and 91% statewide; 2% left Wisconsin public schools. Average teacher salary was $63,657, against $61,490 for the median peer and $61,273 statewide.

Tomorrow RiverRegional peers (median)Wisconsin (median district)
98%94%91%88%85%2016-172018-192020-212022-232024-25

Staff by role, 2016-17 to 2025-26

RoleHeadcount, firstHeadcount, lastChangePeer median change
Administrators46+50%+16%
Teachers8398+18%−2%
Aides/Paraprofessionals2126+24%−3%
Pupil Services78+14%−7%
Other3845+18%−15%

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 Tomorrow River 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 Tomorrow River 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
Almond-BancroftPortage05Rural10418$16,956
Iola-ScandinaviaWaupaca05Rural11669$17,912
WaupacaWaupaca05Town122,195$16,212
RosholtPortage05Rural14553$17,399
Stevens Point Area PublicPortage05Town167,490$16,724
ManawaWaupaca06Rural19635$17,270
Wild RoseWaushara05Rural20586$18,138
Tri-County AreaWaushara05Rural20635$17,380
Weyauwega-FremontWaupaca06Rural23806$22,854
NekoosaWood05Rural321,017$20,706
AuburndaleWood05Rural34782$16,458
Necedah AreaJuneau05Rural47683$19,870

“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.