November 14, 2025
U.S. News & World Report Recognizes School for Agriculture and Environmental Studies (SAGES) Among the 2026 Best Elementary Schools
Washington, D.C. – November 12, 2025 – School for Agriculture and Environmental Studies (SAGES) has been ranked No. 387 in Wisconsin Elementary Schools and No. 19 in Wisconsin Charter Elementary Schools, and is in the top 40% of all public schools in the United States of America, and has earned a 2026 Best Elementary School rankings by U.S. News & World Report. The rankings include about 47,000 public elementary schools and more than 23,000 middle schools across the country. Schools are ranked at the state and district level, with Best Charter Schools ranked as a stand-alone category.
Megan Hanni, Principal of SAGES, stated, "We are incredibly proud that SAGES has been highlighted in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, reflecting the collaborative culture we've established. This recognition, coupled with our recent 'Exceeds Expectations' state accountability rating, is a direct result of our focused approach, particularly in foundational skills and assuring students basic needs are met. Our success is a testament to our dedicated and caring staff who ensure we provide high-quality education for every student."
Dr. Steven Hill, District Administrator, shared, "The outstanding performance of the School for Agricultural and Environmental Studies (SAGES) in these national rankings reinforces the commitment to excellence we see across the Waupun Area School District (WASD), where all three schools earned the distinguished 'Exceeds Expectations' accountability rating for 2024-25. Our Junior Senior High School also received a U.S. News Best High Schools Award. These results are particularly meaningful because they reflect the collaborative culture and systems we've built to sustain excellence, including our investment in coaching and intervention. This showcases what can be accomplished when our community works together toward a shared goal."
The methodology focuses on state assessments of students who were proficient or above proficient in mathematics and reading/language arts while accounting for student backgrounds, achievement in core subjects, and how well schools are educating their students. Student-teacher ratios are applied to break ties in the overall score.
The 2026 Best Elementary and Best Middle Schools rankings are based on publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Education. For district-level rankings, at least two of the top-performing schools must rank in the top 75% of the overall elementary or middle school rankings to qualify for district-level recognition. “Recognizing schools that consistently deliver high-quality education, U.S. News’ 2026 Best Elementary and Middle Schools rankings showcase institutions that empower students from a variety of backgrounds,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor for Education at U.S. News. “This data-rich resource helps parents choose schools that are truly making a difference in children's academic journeys". Parents, educators, and students can see how School for Agriculture and Environmental Studies (SAGES) compares to other institutions and how the rankings are calculated on the best elementary and middle schools on USNews.com.