Whitefish Bay High School PRESS RELEASE - September 25, 2025

Whitefish Bay ACT, Pre-ACT, and Forward Exam Scores

WHITEFISH BAY, WI – The School District of Whitefish Bay shared the ACT, Pre-ACT, and Forward Exam scores from the 2024-2025 school year which had been recently released by the Department of Public Instruction.  

Annually, juniors across the state of Wisconsin participate in ACT testing which is a curriculum based, multiple choice test which covers English, mathematics, reading, and science. An optional writing test can also be taken. Since the ACT measures a student’s readiness for college coursework, the ACT historically has been the test of choice for most colleges and universities, particularly those in the Midwest. 

For the 2024-2025 school year, Whitefish Bay students achieved an average composite score of 25.3 on the ACT, according to the WISEdash Public Portal for the Department of Public Instruction. This score significantly surpasses the statewide Wisconsin average of 19.4, reflecting a +5.9 point difference. This performance continues the long-standing trend of Whitefish Bay students outperforming the state average on this nationally recognized assessment.

The Pre-ACT is used in grades nine and ten to assess student readiness in English, mathematics, reading, science, and writing. Whitefish Bay students in grades nine and ten were assessed in the Pre-ACT in the 2024-2025 school year and had strong performance level scores in English Language Arts and Math. Please see the chart below for more information:

2024-2025 Pre-ACT 

Students in grades three through eight along with grade ten participated in the Forward Exam during the 2024-2025 school year. According to the Department of Public Instruction (2023), “The Exam is designed to gauge how well students are doing in relation to the Wisconsin Academic Standards.” The Forward Exam is administered online in the spring of each school year at:

• grades 3-8 in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics,
• grades 4 and 8 in science and,
• grades 4, 8, and 10 in social studies.

Whitefish Bay students performed extremely well on the Forward Exam in the 2024-2025 school year.  Please see the chart below for more information:

2024-2025 Forward Exam

Director of Teaching and Learning, Mr. Mike O’Connor shared, “The sustained high achievement of our students is both a source of celebration and motivation. This success is a testament to the collective dedication of our entire educational community. While we are grateful for the validation of student performance demonstrated through these state assessments, our deepest appreciation is reserved for the daily commitment of our staff, students, and families who uphold Whitefish Bay's tradition as an Exceptional Place to Learn”

District Administrator, Dr. Jamie Foeckler reported, “We are pleased to share another year of strong assessment results. Our Focus Plan serves as our compass, ensuring all students are prepared for life, careers, and college. Our Exceptional Place to Learn goal aims for every student to continuously grow and meet or exceed academic and social-emotional targets. These latest state assessment results reflect the incredible progress our students make every day in the classroom through formative assessments and learning. While state tests are just one measure of success, they are a powerful testament to the unwavering commitment to learning demonstrated by our students, their families, and our entire District team. Thank you for another year of partnership in learning.”

More information on the ACT can be found at: https://dpi.wi.gov/wisedash/about-data/act 

More information on the PreACT can be found at:https: https://dpi.wi.gov/assessment/PreACT 

More information on the Forward Exam can be found at: https://dpi.wi.gov/wisedash/about-data/forward 

###