The Racine Unified School District is a composite of city, suburban, and rural areas contained in a 100-square-mile area. Racine County is known for having outstanding schools, and many innovative, state-wide models have been developed in the school districts. The district achieves above national test score averages on standardized tests and on both SAT and ACT tests. More than 70 percent of district high school graduates indicate attending a post-secondary institution. The district's 2003 graduation rate was 75.7 percent; 48 percent of the district's teachers hold a master's degree or higher.
The following is a summary of data regarding Racine's public schools as of the 2003–2004 school year.
Total enrollment: 21,500
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 21
middle schools: 6
senior high schools: 4
other: 2 charter schools
Student/teacher ratio: 14:1
Teacher salaries
minimum: $28,318
maximum: $58,716
Funding per pupil: $10,048
There are dozens of private schools in Racine, including the Prairie School, an independent college preparatory school that teaches nursery through twelfth grade and emphasizes arts education. Racine has thirty parochial schools in the area, accommodating approximately 6,400 students.
Public Schools Information: Racine Unified School District, 2220 Northwestern Ave., Racine, WI 53404; telephone (262)635-5600
The University of Wisconsin-Parkside, part of the University of Wisconsin system, serves more than 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students on its 700-acre campus located between the cities of Racine and Kenosha. The university has schools of liberal arts and science and technology, and offers undergraduate course work in 24 major fields of study. In addition, the school offers a master's degree in business administration and a master's degree in applied molecular biology, the only one of its kind in Wisconsin. Gateway Technical College offers associate degree, diploma, and certificate programs, as well as educational classes offered to specifically meet area employment needs. The school works with more than 20,000 enrollees annually, and offers programs in more than 77 fields. Its facilities include three full-service campuses.
In nearby Kenosha County, Carthage College offers liberal arts degrees in 33 major fields and enrolls approximately 1,500 students. The short commute to Milwaukee allows Racine residents to attend classes at dozens of colleges and universities, including Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The Racine Public Library contains more than a quarter of a million volumes, subscribes to nearly 650 publications, and has more than 5,000 microfilms and films. The library's special collections include works on Racine history and the Early Childhood Resource Collection. In addition to the spacious main library that offers views of Lake Michigan, the library operates a bookmobile and has a number of return box locations. Programs for teens, children, adults, and families are also available.
At the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Center for Survey and Marketing Research, studies on travel and tourism and product and market feasibility are conducted. The university's Industrial Automation Research Center researches real time computer application with an emphasis on automation systems, and the Bio Medical Institute conducts applied and fundamental research in drug design, evaluation, and electromagnetic field application.
Public Library Information: Racine Public Library, 75 Seventh St., Racine, WI 53403; telephone (262)636-9252; email ref–rac@racinelib.lib.wi.us