NIAGARA, Wis. — The Niagara Board of Education on Wednesday heard a presentation on district goals from Sherri Petschar, guidance counselor/curriculum director.

Using data from the state report card, the district set a number of goals it hopes to meet in several different areas.

She used data from the School Report Card as a gauge, which can give them an overall sense of the students by looking at attendance and co-curriculars, which are important ways to promote success.

The number of female student taking part in extracurriculars was at 30%, which seems much lower than the boys number of 57%, but it was pointed out that there are a larger number of girls in the high school at this time. About 54% of middle school students took part in extracurriculars. The district’s goals are 60% for high school students and 80% for middle school students. Forty-nine percent of last’s year elementary students took part in activities, which they would like to see increased to 65%.

Attendance rates were 95.3% for the Class of 2026, 94% of the Class of 2027 and 95.6% for the Class of 2028. These numbers are for their freshman year. Attendance for middle school students was at 95.1%. The number was 95.2% at the elementary school. The district wants it to increase to 98%.

Other items of note in the report:

— A larger number of students taking vocational classes.

— Sixty-two percent of the Class of 2026 has earned a C or higher in Algebra II, which is linked to both college enrollment and bachelor’s degree attainment, according to Petschar’s report.

— The number of students taking advanced courses has dropped from 54% in 2025 to 42% in 2026.

— Last year, 81% of the fourth-grade students tested at advanced or proficient in math in the Wisconsin Forward Exam.

Using the data, the district can find see where students might be falling behind or need other types of curriculum, Petschar said.

In other business, the board:

— Approved the calendar for the 2026-27 school year. The first day of school for students will be Sept. 1, with Labor Day break from Sept. 4 through Sept. 7. An open house will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 26. The end of the first quarter will be Oct. 30, second quarter will be Jan. 14, third quarter, March 19 and the final day of school will be May 28. Thanksgiving break will be Nov. 25-27, winter break from Dec. 23 through Jan. 1. Spring break is planned from March 22-29.

— Heard an update from Superintendent Nathaniel Burklund on the soft lockdown that occurred Nov. 5. Burklund said Niagara Police contacted the school because of the situation that day that led to a fatal accident. The lockdown lasted about 15 minutes and no incidents were reported. Coincidently, the district had a complete lockdown drill scheduled for the next day, he said.

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Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.