The education website Niche released its 2025 Best School Districts for Athletes in America, naming three Wisconsin schools — one from three different metro areas — in its top 25 and three more in the top 50.
That included No. 8 Waunakee in the Madison area, No. 11 Kimberly in the Fox Valley and No. 20 Muskego-Norway just outside the Milwaukee metro.
The top three on the list were Bedford, New Hampshire; North Allegeny, Pittsburgh; and Glastonbury, Connecticut.
Niche indicated that its ranking was based on student and parent reviews of athletics, student participation in athletics and the number of sports offered at the school.
The website offers a variety of rankings, including best overall districts, most diverse and best places to teach.
The other Wisconsin school districts in the top 50 are Mequon-Thiensville (No. 26), Howard-Suamico (No. 28) and Elmbrook (No. 44). with Pewaukee (No. 137) and Sun Prairie (No. 143) also ranked in the top 150.
Though state-level success of the high-school programs isn't part of the ranking criteria, the programs have enjoyed success.
Waunakee owns 18 WIAA team state championships, most recently boys golf in 2024. The school won its seventh football title in 2021 and won a baseball title in 2018. It won a girls soccer title in 2014.
Kimberly has 36 team championships, most recently the 2025 girls basketball crown. The football team's 70-game winning streak became the longest current mark in the nation and was part of a program that has won eight titles since 2007, most recently in 2022. The boys track and field team won three straight titles from 2017 through 2019, and the boys volleyball team has two titles since 2019.
Muskego High School owns 28 state titles, most recently a third consecutive girls soccer championship in 2024 (and fourth since 2019), along with a co-op gymnastics championship in 2024, the 10th state title since 2011. The girls cross country team won in 2022 for a third title in five years, the girls track and field team in 2021 for the second time in three years and the girls tennis team in 2020. The football team won consecutive titles in 2018 and 2019, and baseball won in 2018.