Racine Unified School District

Racine Unified School District (RUSD) is a school district serving the eastern portion of Racine County, Wisconsin. It encompasses a area, and serves the city of Racine and six other towns and villages, which had a combined population of 139,193 at the 2010 census. RUSD is the fifth-largest school district in Wisconsin. It has 20 schools, with a student enrollment of more than 16,000. The district employs 1,757 teachers and 171 administrators.

History On June 26, 1961, the City of Racine school system merged with 24 schools in the surrounding area to form the Unified School District No. 1 of Racine. The issue had been put to a referendum earlier that year, on April 4, and all seven municipalities of eastern Racine County – Caledonia, Elmwood Park, Mount Pleasant, North Bay, Racine, Sturtevant, and Wind Point – voted in favor of the unification."Voters OK ‘Unification’, Proposal Wins Majority in All 7 Municipalities". Racine Journal Times, April 5, 1961. The district moved to desegregate its schools in 1975, in an effort which was regarded as widely successful and held up as a model to other cities.Tempas, Chris and Stephen Kercher. "The Pursuit of True Freedom: School Desegregation in Racine, Wisconsin". Oshkosh Scholar, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, 2011. A pair of referendums in 2015 asked residents of Caledonia and Sturtevant whether they wanted to secede from RUSD and create separate school districts. Both narrowly won, garnering majority of the vote.Knapp, Aaron. "Caledonia, Sturtevant looking to ask voters’ opinion on leaving Unified". Racine Journal Times, January 24, 2015.Racine County Clerk. "2nd Unofficial Election Results 04-07-15".

Schools Racine Unified operates 20 schools across eastern Racine County. One, the Bull Early Education Center, is a preschool serving children under the age of five. Five are elementary schools, educating children between four-year-old kindergarten and fifth grade. There are nine K–8 schools, for 4K through eighth grades; two 6–12 schools (grades 6–12); and three high schools, for ninth through twelfth grades.

Pre-K Bull Early Education Center - Formerly Bull Fine Arts Elementary School, which opened in 1971

Elementary schools Fratt Elementary School – Opened in 1916, the school's neighborhood area in west Racine straddles the Root River. The land for the school was donated posthumously by Nicholas D. Fratt, president of the First National Bank and Trust Company of Racine.Fratt – About Us, rusd.org"What's in a name: N.D. Fratt School". Racine Journal Times, December 16, 1997. S. C. Johnson Elementary School – The school, serving southwestern Racine, opened in 1955 and is named for Samuel C. Johnson, founder of S. C. Johnson & Son. Major additions were made to the building in 1960 and 1991. Additionally, children from downtown and the area immediately south are bussed to S. C. Johnson.S.C. Johnson – About Us, rusd.org Julian Thomas Elementary School – The school's neighborhood is immediately northwest of downtown. Originally opened in 1857 as the Fifth Ward grammar school, it was named Garfield School, after assassinated U.S. president James A. Garfield, from 1892 to 2003. After major renovations took place that year, it was renamed after local civil rights leader Julian Thomas.Julian Thomas – About Us, rusd.orgWilford, Jeff. "'This hurts': Julian Thomas' death leaves hole in community". Racine Journal Times, April 7, 2003. Knapp Elementary School – Serving the Slausondale neighborhood, the school opened in 2016. The new building replaced the original Knapp Elementary, which had been open since 1912 and was demolished after the opening of its replacement. The school's namesake is Gilbert Knapp, who founded Racine in 1835.Knapp – About Us, rusd.org Racine Early Education Center (REEC) – Opened in 2007, the REEC occupies the former home of the Keith R. Mack Alternative Center. The Center serves children between the ages of three and five.Racine Early Education Center – About Us, rusd.org Wadewitz Elementary School – Originally intended as a school for students with special needs, the school opened in 1958 sharing a block with Horlick High School. Today Wadewitz is a neighborhood school, serving northwestern Racine, although a quarter of its students have special needs."Wadewitz Elementary School Raising Funds For New Playground". Racine Uncovered, May 17, 2016. The school's namesake is Edward Henry Wadewitz, founder of Western Publishing.Wadewitz – About Us, rusd.org

K–8 schools Olympia Brown K–8 School – Built in 2016, the newly constructed school serves eastern Caledonia. The former Olympia Brown building was purchased by RUSD in 1974 from the Racine Dominican Sisters. The school is named for Olympia Brown, a suffragist and women's rights activist who lived and worked in Racine. The school moved from its previous Olympia Brown facility to the current one in 2016 and the REAL School moved out in 2017. In the fall of 2025, a middle-school wing opened on the Brown campus, making the school a K–8 campus. Gifford K–8 School – Gifford is located in Franksville, an unincorporated community northwest of Racine. Its elementary boundary area of is the largest of any RUSD elementary school, encompassing most of Caledonia and nearly half of the district's land area. Originally constructed in 1966 as a junior high school, it was converted into an elementary school in 1984. A major expansion in 2016 turned it into a K–8 school, and it now serves about 1,300 students. Its athletics programs are known as the Gifford Gators. It was named after W. Allen Gifford, founder of Racine's Progressive Dairy.Gifford – About Us, rusd.org Gilmore K–8 Fine Arts School – Built in 1974, Gilmore is the neighborhood middle school for northwestern Racine. Additionally, students from northeastern Caledonia are bussed to Gilmore. Its athletics programs are known as the Gilmore Griffins.Gilmore – About Us, rusd.org Gilmore is a Fine Arts choice school in RUSD. Goodland Montessori K–8 School – The first new school built by the Unified School District, Goodland opened in 1962, serving the west Racine neighborhoods of Manree Park and Crab Tree Village. Additionally, children from a poorer area immediately west of downtown are bussed to Goodland. It was named after Walter Goodland, governor of Wisconsin who had previously been mayor of Racine.Goodland – About Us, rusd.org In 2016, Goodland opened RUSD's first Montessori program, serving preschoolers between the ages of three and five.Montessori Program, rusd.orgTorres, Ricardo. "New Montessori classroom opens at Goodland Elementary". Racine Journal Times, September 13, 2016. Goodland has now expanded by one grade each year and will grow until it serves 3K-eighth grade. Jerstad-Agerholm K–8 School – Built in 1952, the school serves northern Racine. Additionally, students from the area immediately north of downtown are bussed to Jerstad. It was named in honor of John L. "Jack" Jerstad and Harold C. Agerholm, two Racine natives who were killed in World War II and each received the Medal of Honor posthumously. Its athletics programs are known as the Jerstad Jaguars.Jerstad-Agerholm – About Us, rusd.org Mitchell K–8 School – Mitchell K–8 School serves southern Racine and eastern Mount Pleasant. The building was constructed in 1937. On February 27, 2014, the building was damaged by fire, although the damage to the middle school was relatively light and class resumed the following week. The school was named for Henry Mitchell, founder of Mitchell-Lewis Motors and maker of Mitchell automobiles. Its athletics programs are known as the Mitchell Knights.Mitchell Elementary – About Us, rusd.orgAsiyanbi, Heather. "Mitchell School Fire: One Year Later". Racine County Eye, February 27, 2015. Red Apple K–8 School – Opened in 1974, the school has a focus on sciences and STEM education and is one of the district's alternative education programs. It is a choice school, and has no neighborhood area. The oldest part of the building was constructed in 1875 as the Seventh Ward grammar school, which was expanded into Washington Elementary and Junior High in 1890. The elementary school closed in 1962, and the junior high school closed in 1966, leaving the building as one of RUSD's first ventures in alternative education, the Middle School Academy. Red Apple was founded in 1974 "as the Optional Elementary School... Principal Cheri Esch said a name change was necessary after the first year because the implication was that attendance was optional." Originally sharing its space with Walden III Middle/High School, Red Apple moved to the former Washington Elementary building in 1986.Red Apple – About Us, rusd.org In February 2026, Red Apple moved into a brand-new facility designed and constructed for the school. Schulte K–8 School – Built in 1967, the school serves Sturtevant and southwestern Mount Pleasant. It is named for Frederick F. Schulte, longtime music teacher at Park High School and founder of the Racine Symphony Orchestra.Schulte – About Us, rusd.org"What's in a name?: Schulte Elementary School". Racine Journal Times, November 4, 1997. In the fall of 2025, a brand-new K–8 building opened on the original Schulte Elementary campus, completing the roll-up to the middle-school grades which began in the fall of 2023. Starbuck International K–8 School – Founded in 1961, the school serves the westernmost parts of Racine and most of Mount Pleasant. Additionally, students from the downtown area and areas immediately south and west are bussed to Starbuck. The school was named for Frank Raymond Starbuck, publisher of the Racine Journal-News and the Racine Journal Times from 1929 to 1952.Starbuck – About Us, rusd.orgBennett, Chris. "Glad You Asked: Half-staff flags and The Journal Times name". Racine Journal Times, August 19, 2006. In the fall of 2024, an expansion opened which merged Jefferson Lighthouse and West Ridge Elementary Schools into Starbuck to convert it into a K–8 school.

6–12 schools The Racine Engineering, Arts and Leadership (The R.E.A.L.) School – The school serves students in sixth through twelfth grades and is one of the district's alternative education programs. A magnet school, it was founded in 2000 and has no neighborhood area. The REAL School was located in the former Olympia Brown Elementary building, which was purchased by RUSD in 1974 from the Racine Dominican Sisters.REAL School – About Us, rusd.org In the fall of 2017, the REAL School took up residence in the former Sturtevant SportsPlex. Walden III Middle and High School – Founded in 1972, the school is one of the district's choice schools and has no neighborhood area. In its first three years, Walden III enrolled only juniors and seniors at the former McMynn Building. In 1975, the school moved to the Franklin building, where it would stay until 2018, and expanded to include 7th through 10th grades in addition to the existing 11th and 12th grades. In 1983, due to district reorganization, the 9th graders moved to the high school and the middle school expanded to include 6th graders. The Franklin building was constructed in 1870 for the Sixth Ward grammar school. From the 1890s until 1975, it housed Franklin Elementary and Junior High School. In 2018, increased enrollment in the middle school program led to Walden's entire program being moved to its new location in the McKinley Middle School building.Walden – About Us, rusd.org

High schools Jerome I. Case High School – Built in 1966, Case is the newest of Racine's three major high schools, serving primarily Caledonia and Mount Pleasant. Additionally, students from the area around the former Case factory site are bussed to Case High School. The school has 2,100 students and is accredited by International Baccalaureate.Case – About Us, rusd.org