The Ancestor Hunt regularly adds and updates new collection links, as well as searches for and fixes broken links.
(This page's most recent update is December 2024)
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Do you research school records? I’m not talking about yearbooks. Those can be found on the Yearbooks Page. I’m talking about actual school records, such as enrollment, attendance, and grade reports for example. These are interesting source documents because they might record the student’s age, birth date and location, and possibly their parents’ names. All great ways to find this information if you haven’t found them in other documents about your target ancestor. Besides, finding out your grandmother’s grades would be interesting!
The record collection links, listed below, feature school records from the state, and list collections of records that are available for free online.
If you wish to get educated with some basic information regarding what is available and how to navigate your research for school records, you can read these summaries:
- 5 Quick Tips to Get the Most Out of Education Records
- Top 10 Strategies for Finding School Records for Genealogy
- Getting Started With School Records for Genealogy Research
So, what types of records related to schools are maintained and often available?
- School Census
- School Catalogs
- Teacher’s Registers
- Attendance Records
- Report Cards
- Class Logs
- Teacher Rosters
- School Board Meetings/Reports
- Academic Team and Class Photos
- Local Newspaper Articles:
- Graduation Lists
- School Activities
- School Sports
- Student Newspapers
- Alumni Directories and Publications
- Yearbooks
- Yearbook Indexes
And, what types of information can you derive from these school records?
- Name (often includes a middle name which is useful).
- Age
- Physical Characteristics – color/race, disability.
- Birth Date
- Current Residence Address
- Name of Father
- Name of Mother
- Occupations of parents
- Grades
- Classes Taken
- Activities (from Photos)
- Date left school (can help with family residence relocation)
Below is a list of links to free online school record collections for the state;
Note: Some of the links go to sites with not much information and some go to sites with an extensive set of records.
Note: Some links listed take you to a FamilySearch Collection of digital images. Near the bottom of the page under Film/Digital Notes is the name of each sub-collection. If there is a camera icon at the right of the name (in the Format column) then the collections’ images are browsable. If there is a camera with a key icon, it is only available at a Family History Center or affiliated library. If there is a film reel icon, then it is only available in microfilm format, not digital. To take full advantage make sure that you are logged in to FamilySearch. The results may be different if you are signed in, rather than not.
Wisconsin School Records
- Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Oconto and Shawano Counties, Miscellaneous School Records
- Buffalo County, Mondovi High School Class Lists
- Clayton, Winnebago County, School District Records
- Clayton, Winnebago County, Records of the School Districts
- Dane County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Delavan, Delavan High School: the Beginning, end & in Between
- Distinguished Hudson Men and Women
- Dunn County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Eau Claire County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Eau Claire County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Florence County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Hudson, Hudson High School Alumni Directory, 1881-1972
- Lac du Flambeau Agency and La Pointe Agency, Census for Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa in Lac du Flambeau and La Pointe Agency, 1903-1934
- Lac du Flambeau Agency and La Pointe Agency, Census for Red Cliff Band of Chippewa Indians in the Lac du Flambeau and La Point Agency, 1903-1927
- Lac du Flambeau Agency and La Pointe Agency, Census for Rice Lake Band of Chippewa Indians in the Lac du Flambeau and La Point Agency, 1901-1902
- Lac du Flambeau Agency, Census for Bois Forte or Vermillion Lake Band of Chippewa Indians in the Lac du Flambeau Agency, Lac du Flambeau, 1886-1927
- Lac du Flambeau Agency, Census for Fond du Lac Band of Chippewa Indians in the Lac du Flambeau Agency, Lac du Flambeau, 1886-1902
- Lac du Flambeau Agency, Census for Grand Portage Band of Chippewa Indians in the Lac du Flambeau Agency, Lac du Flambeau, 1886-1902
- Lac du Flambeau Agency, Census for Lac Court Oreilles band of Chippewa Indians in the Lac du Flambeau Agency, Lac du Flambeau, 1886-1902
- Lac du Flambeau Agency, Census for Lac du Flambeau Band of Chippewa Indians in the Lac du Flambeau Agency, Lac du Flambeau, 1910-1927
- Lac du Flambeau Agency, Census for Wisconsin Potawatomi Band of Chippewa Indians in the Lac du Flambeau Agency, Lac du Flambeau, 1916-1932
- Lawrence College Alumni Record, 1857-1922
- Madison, Historical Sketch of the Public Schools of Madison, 1838-1885
- Monroe County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Monroe County, Tomah High School Records
- Oneida County, Rhinelander High School Seniors, 1919-1931
- Ripon College, General Catalogue of Ripon College, 1851 to 1894
- Sawyer County, Miscellaneous School Records
- Shawano County, Miscellaneous School Records
- The Oshkosh Public School Exhibit Program
- University of Wisconsin, Directory of Officers and Students
- Wisconsin School for the Deaf, Souvenir 1852-1902
- Wood County, Miscellaneous Rural School Records
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!