Plymouth School District Report Card

Every year the Department of Public Instruction releases school and district "report cards." These report cards use standardized test scores and a few other demographic data points to grade a district and its individual schools.

While the Plymouth School District sees the value in standardized tests as one way to monitor progress, we gauge the success of our schools via many other important factors.

We invite you to explore the links below to see how an exciting mix of academics, extracurriculars, and other enriching experiences allow our students to truly thrive in school while preparing themselves to become their best in any path they choose after graduation.

 

 

o ACT indicates that our seniors are prepared for college at a higher rate than the state average, with a composite average of 22 for college-bound students.
o 96 college credits are available to PHS students during the 2023-24 school year.
o The Class of 2023 earned a total of $1.6 million in scholarships.
presenter and students with awards
o PHS follows a Laude system similar to that used by many universities. The levels are, in order of increasing rigor, Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Summa Cum Laude.
o PHS has added 16 cum laude classes since the 2014-15 school year, including Accelerated Area Studies, Accelerated Citizenship, Advanced Art, Music Theory, and Statistics.
o Nicholas Shircel, 2023 National Merit Scholarship recipient
o Kyle Kraus, 2019 National Merit Finalist
o Dallas Kreisa, 2019 National Merit Finalist
o Alexander Oty, 2019 National Merit Finalist
o John Nugent, 2019 National Merit Commended Student
o Gwen Nytes, 2017 National Merit Commended Student
o Cooper Ebbott, Zach Holden and Mark Novak, 2014 National Merit Commended Students
o Rebecca Ebbott, 2013 National Merit Semifinalist
o Charlie Martin, 2012 National Merit Finalist
o Workforce certifications (Certified Nursing Assistant, Microsoft Office Specialist, etc.) demonstrate to employers that students have practical skills directly applicable to the workplace.
o PHS students have earned 126 workforce certifications since the 2014-15 school year.
o A Plymouth High School senior has been named 2023 Wisconsin State Champion in Microsoft Excel, one of two Microsoft Office Specialist 2023 State Championship Fall Qualifiers from the school.
3 people with certificates
o PHS students are serving 42 Youth Apprenticeships during the 2023-24 school year.
o PHS students have served 169 Youth Apprenticeships during the past decade.
o Nearly 80% of our teachers hold master's degrees.
o 63 Plymouth School District educators have received master’s degrees from UW-Green Bay, thanks to an innovative partnership that provides the district with a unique in-house master's degree program.
o Rather than purchasing boxed curriculum from national corporations, we invest time and resources that allow our staff to create and develop meaningful curriculum that meets the needs of our students.
o Wisconsin Art Education Association Art Teacher of the Month for January 2024: Ryan Krippendorf
o Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association Division 3 Girls Soccer Coach of the Year 2023: Brad Feick
o Kohl Teacher Fellow 2022: PHS agriculture teacher Tracy Heinbuch
o Wisconsin Global Educator of the Year 2019-20: PHS Spanish teacher Laura Koebel
o Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association Service Award 2019: District technology coordinator Mike Briggs
o Academic and Career Planning Award from Lakeshore Technical College 2018: PHS technology education instructor Jake Sherman
o Vision of Education Award from UW-Green Bay 2018: Plymouth School District
o Wisconsin School Public Relations Association Award of Excellence 2017: District Report Card
o Wisconsin Technology Education Association Technology Special Recognition Award 2017: Plymouth High School Principal Jennifer Rauscher
o Lakeshore Technical College Top Tech Award 2017: Plymouth High School business teacher June Winkel
o Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association Service Award 2017: Plymouth High School Coach Scott Richards
o Pioneer Athletics Fields of Excellence Award 2016-present: Head groundskeeper Ryan Rusch
o NorthEast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance Tech Ed Teacher of the Year 2015: Greg Gritt
o Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce Golden Apple Award 2015: Plymouth School District
o NorthEast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance Education Innovation Award 2014: Plymouth High School
o Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce Golden Apple Award 2013: PHS teachers Greg Gritt and Jake Sherman
coaches with trophy
o Invited to present at professional conferences:
Amy Bogenschuetz
Anne Gamoke
Megan Hummitzsch
Victoria Lamb
o Dena Budrecki, for UW-Green Bay
o Amy Bogenschuetz, for UW-Green Bay
o Dave Coley, for Lakeland University
o Jack Daniels, for Lakeshore Technical College
o Todd Hunt, for UW-Green Bay
o Amy Kolpin, for UW-Oshkosh
o Connie Lund, for Lakeshore Technical College
o Dan Mella, for UW-Green Bay
o Billie Rau, for Concordia University
o Kay Tharp, for UW-Green Bay
o This state-of-the-art facility allows PHS students to experience all phases of the design process, taking projects from conception to completion.
- A recent example is the Finke Field entry arch, designed and constructed by PHS technology education students.
o Facility highlights:
- CNC mills
- CNC router
- CNC plasma cutter
- 3-D printers
- Industrial robot
- Welding training facility
- Engineering/CAD Labs
- Laser engravers
- Automotive lab with hydraulic hoists
students and engineers with robot
o The facility has received strong support from the business community:
- The Kohler Foundation donated $65,000 to launch a robotics and automation program.
- Van Horn Automotive Group has provided $45,000 in improvements to the automotive lab.
- Sargento has donated a high-speed packaging machine and a laser engraver.
- The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation awarded Plymouth High School a $25,000 Fab Lab grant to help fund a high-tech router.
o Learn more about the LTC-Plymouth Science & Technology Center, which serves students in engineering classes as well as those learning skilled trades and community members.
o This modern research facility better provides students and community members with skills needed by key local industries.
o Facility highlights:
- 30-by-90-foot greenhouse
- 30-by-80-foot attached classroom with 6 state-of-the-art lab stations
- Hydroponics systems (where plants are grown in water)
- Aquaponics systems (a growing system with fish and plants)
- Refractometers (which measure sugar levels in produce)
Students talking in Food Science and Agriculture Center
o Learn more about the Food Science & Agriculture Center, which serves PHS students in seven academic disciplines as well as younger students and community members.
o We were the first district in the area to offer nationally recognized Project Lead the Way engineering courses, which feature a hands-on, project-based and problem-based approach that adds rigor to traditional technical programs and relevance to traditional academics.
o Our PLTW-certified program has an “exemplary school” designation. All PHS classes carry credit from either the Milwaukee School of Engineering or UW-Green Bay.
o We offer seven Project Lead the Way courses at the middle and high school levels, taught by science and technology education teachers.
o PHS Technology Education and Engineering Club activities include:
- Formula High School
- High Mileage Vehicle
- Project G.R.I.L.L.
- Beat the Heat
o Plymouth was one of the models used by the DPI for its Global Scholars Program, which requires:
- 4 credits in one world language
- 4 credits in courses with global content
- Reflections on 8 books with global content or up to 4 reflections on art, music, or film
- Participation in schoolwide global activities
- At least 20 hours of global service learning
o 15 PHS students have earned the Certificate of Global Competence or its predecessor, the Wisconsin Global Education Achievement Certificate, since its inception in 2014.
o In-person students seeking classes not offered at Plymouth High School can take courses through Wisconsin Virtual School.
o The district prizes its Summer School program as an excellent opportunity for students to keep learning through the summer, with nearly 60 classes offered in the summer.
o All students have access to a technology device to enhance their learning.
o Plymouth High School has offered a laptop computer to every student since 2011.
o Soft skills are non-academic skills that increasingly are seen as valuable by employers, college admissions officials and scholarship award committees. Plymouth focuses on these three: collaboration, respect and work habits.
o Learn more about our soft-skills evaluation.
o PHS student travel opportunities include regular trips to Germany and Costa Rica; plus recent trips to Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Chile, Spain, Mexico, and Botswana.
o An anonymous donor gave $25,000 to launch a World Language Travel Scholarship for PHS students going on school-sponsored trips.
o The Council on International Educational Exchange has awarded 39 Plymouth High School students Global Navigator Scholarships since 2016 for summer travel abroad.
o PHS enjoys regular visits by students from Colombia, Germany, and Thailand, as well as a very active AFS program.
o 76% of PHS students earned college credits during the 2021-22 school year.
o PHS students earned dual credits (high school and college simultaneously) 940 times during the 2021-22 school year.
o 79 percent of our graduates go on to higher education.
o Plymouth High School inducts new members into its Alumni Hall of Fame each year.
- 2023 Hall of Fame inductees: Ron Nicolaus and Gina Grapentine Krueger
- 2022 Hall of Fame inductees: Keith Abler and Scott Richards
- 2021 Hall of Fame inductees: Ed Brinkman and David Peters
- 2020 Hall of Fame inductee: Chuck Schumacher
- 2019 Hall of Fame inductees: Stan Struve and April Doebert-Fischer
- 2018 Hall of Fame inductees: Ralph C. Stayer and Allen Nohl
- 2017 Hall of Fame inductees: Gary Gritt, Joel Dudley, Beau Hoopman.
- 2016 Hall of Fame inductees: Dar Blanke, Thomas Kestell, Lisa (Peplinski) Jaster.
- 2015 Hall of Fame inductees: Gilbert G. Gilman, Roger Boeckmann, Sharon (Blanke) Chappy.
- 2014 Hall of Fame inductees: Luther F. Schriefer, David G. Wacker, Joan Vorpagel.
- 2013 Hall of Fame inductees: James Hemauer, Nancy Blick Jusky, Bill Miller.
- 2012 Hall of Fame inductees: Lou Gentine, Wayne Huberty, Laura Schwartz.
- 2011 Hall of Fame inductees: Anthony Evers, Philip Krueger, Barbara (Koehler) Lavallee, Kathryn Schilling.
- 2010 Hall of Fame inductees: Carol Edler Baumann, Kazuhiko Maekawa, Timm A Zimmermann.
PHS Alumni Hall of Fame logo
o PHS graduates with military appointments
- 2022 Army ROTC - Mason Brill-Meerdink
- 2019 West Point appointment - Max Hassel
- 2019 admittance to The Citadel - Wilhelm Birkholz
- 2017 West Point appointment - Kalei Hering
- 2016 Air Force Academy appointment - Ryan Holec
- 2016 US Navy ROTC - Abigail Nicholson
- 2015 US Navy ROTC - Izack Ohman
- 2012 US Army ROTC - Dustin Schulz
- 2011 US Naval Academy appointment - Lukas Ohman
- 2010 US Naval Academy appointment - Greg Poser
- 2009 US Naval Academy appointment - Logan Roy
- 2005 US Naval Academy appointment - Marshall Witkowski
o Admiral Luther F. Schriefer – Class of 1955 - went from PHS homecoming king to a 37-year Navy career. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, the Naval War College, and received a master’s in international affairs from George Washington University. He was trained as a carrier-based pilot, and served two tours in Vietnam. Over the course of his long Navy career, he was promoted to various command posts – including an aviation squadron, two carrier air-wings, an anti-submarine warfare wing and two naval ships. Admiral Schriefer spent 23 of his 37 years in sea assignments. In his last naval position, he commanded the San Diego Naval Base, which included two air bases, a submarine base and a naval station. After retiring from the Navy, Admiral Schriefer held a variety of high-level positions for the U.S. Defense Department.
o Lisa (Peplinski) Jaster - Class of 1996 - was accepted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. She graduated with a degree in civil engineering, and, as an officer, was deployed in both Afghanistan and Iraq in 2002-2003. She stepped down from active duty in 2007, but returned to the Army in 2012 as a reservist, and three years later made national history by becoming one of the first three female graduates of the Army’s Ranger Program. Her book, “Delete the Adjective: A Soldier's Adventures in Ranger School,” was selected by One Book One Community – The Plymouth Chapter for the 2023 Community Book Read.
o PEP Talks (short for Plymouth Educational Plan Talk) are meetings between a counselor, a student and his or her parents or guardians, held during the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 9th and 11th grades. The focus of the talk varies somewhat with the student's age, moving from focusing on individual strengths in the lower grades to career exploration in the middle grades to career preparation in high school. But the emphasis is always on each student's talents and plans for the future.
o Students are guided to find your passion, shape your path through our Academic and Career Planning.
o Students also develop a plan for their futures using Xello.
o Our new Redefining Ready Report Card will help better define how well we are preparing students for colleges and careers.
o Students involved in extracurriculars have an average GPA of 3.28, compared to 2.17 for non-participants.
o The average GPA of students involved in three or more activities is 3.48.
o 75 percent of current PHS students have been involved in at least one WIAA sport or performance.
o With the addition of Girls Golf and Girls Hockey, Plymouth High School supports 22 WIAA athletic teams.
o Riverview Middle School students can participate in 34 academic clubs and athletic opportunities.
o 73 percent of Riverview students have been involved in at least one extracurricular activity.
o Fairview: Building Club
o Horizon: Chess Club, Cross Country Ski Club, Garden Club, Knitting Club, Number Ninjas
o Parkview: Girls Run Club, LEGO League Jr.
o Plymouth High School state titles:
- Girls Soccer: Division 3, 2023
- Wrestling: Silas Dailey at 170 pounds, 2023

o In the past 10 years, PHS has produced:
- 52 Conference Champs
- 19 Regional Champs
- 11 Sectional Champs
- 10 Team State Qualifiers
- 2 State Titles: Girls Soccer, Wrestling (170lbs)
PHS Girls Soccer team with trophy
o Plymouth High School Dance Team took 1st in D2 Hip Hop and 2nd in D4 Pom at regionals and 4th in D2 Hip Hop at the 2024 State Dance Championships sponsored by the Wisconsin Association of Cheer/Pom Coaches.
o Riverview Middle School
- The Riverview Middle School Track & Field team ended a stellar 2023 season as conference champion and brought home 12 medals from state competition.
o Business
- PHS Future Business Leaders of America sent 8 students in 4 events to national competition in 2023.
- FBLA qualified 4 events for Nationals in 2021, 7 events in 2020, and 3 events in 2019.
o Culinary Arts
- PHS students placed first and second at the 2023 Fox Valley Technical College Burger Challenge.
- Five of the eight finalists in the 2022 Fox Valley Technical College Ultimate Burger Challenge were from Plymouth High School.
- PHS had two finalist teams in the 2021 Whipping Up Wellness Student Chef Competition, one of which was named state champion.
o FFA
- Three PHS Career Development Events teams - Horse Evaluation, Ag Mechanics, and Nursery & Landscape - won their respective state competitions and represented Wisconsin at 2023 Nationals.
- A PHS team took first in the 2021 Wisconsin Meats CDE and advanced to Nationals.
- A PHS team placed second in the 2020 National FFA Agriscience Fair for their work on “The Effects of Adding Hydrogen Peroxide to a Water Culture Hydroponic System to Grow Lettuce.”
- The PHS Horse Evaluation Team took first place at the 2019 state FFA Career Development Event competition and 13th at Nationals.
- Nine PHS students have earned American Degrees - the highest honor FFA bestows upon members - since 2020.
o Technical education
- All 3 PHS Formula High School cars placed at the 2023 Road America competition.
o Other PHS successes
- Fifteen members of HOSA, a health careers club, qualified to compete at the 2024 Wisconsin HOSA State Leadership Conference!
- Quit-Qui-Oc, the Plymouth High School yearbook, has been named a Jostens’ National Yearbook Program of Excellence in 2023, 2022, 2019, 2017, and 2016.
- Six members of the PHS Math Team earned medals in the 2023 Wisconsin Mathematics Council State Contest.
- The PHS Forensics Team claimed the conference title in 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023.
- A Plymouth High School team took first or second at the 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 Lakeland University High School Math Meets.
- The Plymouth Equestrian Team was named Grand Champion in Division B at the 2021 Wisconsin Interscholastic Horsemanship Association State Show, the third time in a row that Plymouth has won its regional competition and advanced to state.
o Elementary successes
- Teams from Fairview, Horizon, and Parkview elementary schools tied for champion, tied for reserve champion, and received honorable mentionat the 2023 National Railroad Museum CESA-7 GT Consortium STEAM Retreat.
- A team of students from Horizon Elementary School took 11th place in the 2022 Wisconsin Battle of the Books, earning a spot in the Honors Club.
o PHS varsity coaches average 20 years of coaching experience; freshmen and JV coaches average 9 years.
o 65 percent of PHS coaches are current or retired teachers.
o Our schools and Community Education & Recreation program offer a wide range of activities for youth and families.
o We collaborate with the City of Plymouth and many community partners on the Plymouth-Area Info Hub, a website (and companion Facebook page) that strives to be the go-to source for information about Plymouth-area recreation and family-friendly activities.
o Music honors
- PHS students earned medals in 155 events and Riverview Middle School students another 30 at the Wisconsin School Music Association-sanctioned district musical festival. More than 50 events qualified for the 2023 State Solo & Ensemble, where 6 received Exemplary Performance nominations.
- One student represented the Plymouth School District in the 2023 State Honors Music Project.
o Band honors
- Riverview Middle School seventh- and eighth-grade bands were selected to perform the National Anthem at the Milwaukee Brewers baseball game June 9, 2022 at American Family Field.
o Choir honors
- Five Riverview Middle School students were selected to participate in the 2024 All-State Middle School Choir.
o Drama honors
- PHS One-Act garnered 6 state awards for its 2022 one-act play: Outstanding Ensemble, All-State, Outstanding Director, Outstanding Technical Theatre, and two Outstanding Actor Awards.
o Visual arts honors
- PHS seniors have been offered more than $1.8 million in art scholarships since 2020.
- The works of Plymouth High School students were included in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 “The Big Idea” shows at the Latino Arts gallery in Milwaukee.
o Only high-school German Band in the United States

o Only area school participating in the ComedySportz High School League, the PHS Jolly Pranksters
PHS German Band
o Horizon planted its first Golden Garden in 2009.
Horizon garden

o Plymouth High School, which has long had a greenhouse, added a garden in 2012, and the Food Science & Agriculture Center in 2015.
plants in greenhouse

o Riverview/Youth Center garden has been growing since 2013.
Youth Center garden

o Parkview installed its first two garden boxes in 2015, then fourth-graders added six more in 2016, and a seventh was added as an Eagle Scout project. Parkview added its Secret Garden in 2021, thanks to a Plymouth Education Foundation grant and the efforts of Plymouth High School technology education classes.
Parkview Secret garden

o Fairview created a garden area with six raised boxes and a long row in 2016.
Fairview garden
o Regular participant in farm-to-school events, including Apple Crunch Day
o Foodservice program named Foodservice Operation of the Month for January 2024 by Foodservice Director Magazine.
o Plymouth High School opened a new multipurpose facility, updated gymnasium, and remodeled kitchen & cafeteria in 2019.

o Fairview and Parkview elementary schools added new cafeterias and gymnasiums for the 2019-2020 school year.
multipurpose facility
o Mulberry Bush: For children 6 weeks until they enter 4K; open 6:30am to 5:30pm Monday through Friday year round; located at Horizon Elementary School.
o Berry Branch: For 4K and 5K students; open before and after school from 6am to 6pm weekdays and during the summer; located at the elementary schools.
o Extra Mile: For students in 1st through 4th grades; open before and after school from 6am to 6pm weekdays and during the summer; located at the elementary schools.
o Youth Center: For students in grades 5-8; open after school until 5 p.m. with at least one adult present at all times.
o Community Ed & Rec offers more than 100 fitness & wellness opportunities each year. Learn more about current opportunities.
o Community members can get exercise at PHS by walking the halls and/or indoor track or by joining the Fitness Center.
o The Wellness Council of America and Wellness Council of Wisconsin awarded the Plymouth School District a Gold Well Workplace Award, recognizing the district as one of “America’s Healthiest Companies.”
o We especially were praised for:
-Collecting Meaningful Data
-Crafting an Operating Plan
-Evaluation, Communication, Celebration & Iteration
-Committed & Aligned Leadership
-Collaboration in Support of Wellness
o In 2019, our schools were the first in the county to achieve the Heart Safe designation, which indicates to the public that the school’s staff is trained and prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency. The current 3-year designation is good through Jan. 24, 2025.
o More than 100 of our faculty, staff, and coaches are certified in CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).
o Our faculty and staff belong to at least 48 community organizations.
o Nearly half of our staff are involved in at least one community organization.
o About three dozen staff members have leadership roles in community organizations.
o Parents, grandparents and other community members are encouraged to volunteer their time in Plymouth schools, either on an ongoing basis or for a one-time event.
o Hundreds of special guests visit our classrooms each year to share their expertise and enthusiasm with our students.
o For years, Plymouth Lions Club volunteers have put in countless hours to screen Plymouth students for vision problems.
o Entire district helps:
- Our schools, staff, students, and families take time during the holiday season to help others.
- All five schools host Veterans Day programs.
- All five schools participate in the annual Cereal Box Domino Challenge, collecting cereal boxes for the Plymouth Food Pantry -- and toppling them like dominoes in the PHS gym.
- Plymouth students help Project Angel Hugs in various ways, including making hundreds of Christmas cards and valentines.
o Each year, Plymouth High School hosts:
- A Homecoming Celebration, with many events open to the public
- PHS World Cultures Fair, featuring the school language programs and exchange students
- Auto Show & Career Fair, with the public invited to enter vehicles as well as to view them
- Panther Greenhouse Plant Sale, featuring student-grown plants for sale to the public
- Union Cemetery Walk, featuring drama students in period costumes sharing information about past Plymouth residents
- Senior Art Show, featuring works created by members of the graduating class
- Blood Drives, organized by the PHS Student Council and conducted by the Red Cross.
- Military Night, organized by PHS Boys Basketball.
homecoming parade
o Other ways Plymouth High School students give back to the community:
- Beginning with the Class of 2026, students must complete 25 hours of community service during their high school careers in order to graduate.
- The PHS Building Construction class worked with local contractor Buteyn-Peterson Construction Co. to replace the riding arena at the Wade House Historic Site.
- The PHS Elements of Construction class builds projects for community members.
- AFS students studying at PHS share presentations about their home countries with the public.
- PHS students helped build a Habitat for Humanity house in Plymouth.
o Riverview gives back:
- The school hosted a free, fun-filled, family-friendly Deck the Halls event.
- The public is welcome to use the disc golf course on school grounds.
o Kohler Co. sponsors Lego League, encourages job shadowing, hosts high school interns, offers STEM tours, and donated a $65,000 robot to Plymouth High School. Company employees also demonstrate problem-solving methodology for the capstone engineering class at PHS and support the school's Formula High school efforts.
o Sargento has donated a high-speed packaging machine and a laser engraver to the LTC-Plymouth Science & Technology Center at PHS.
o Curt Joa, a manufacturer based in nearby Sheboygan Falls, offers instructors summer employment to help them gain better insights into what is expected of students going into industry. The company also has provided students with industry blueprints and parts, as well as tours of its manufacturing facility.
o The Food Science & Agriculture Center is testing hydroponic foam for Plymouth Foam.
o The Science & Technology Center used its 3-D printer to print parts for TruNorth, which in turn brought a portable FARO Arm to show students how the coordinate-measuring device provides highly accurate measurements and quick reverse engineering.
o 63 teachers have earned master's degrees thanks to an in-house program created in partnership with UW-Green Bay.
o Plymouth High School has agreements with numerous colleges -- including the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Lakeland University and Lakeshore Technical College -- to offer college credit to PHS students.
o At least 2,259 individuals of all ages participated in Community Ed & Rec programs during the 2022-23 school year.
o Community Ed & Rec partners with the Plymouth Public Library on the One Book One Community - the Plymouth Chapter Community Book Read each year.