For the second year in a row, the Sheboygan Area School District (SASD) has earned national recognition as the only school district in Wisconsin named to Forbes' 2025 list of America's Best Employers by State.

SASD is ranked 19th out of 75 Wisconsin employers on this year’s list, improving from our 35th place ranking in 2024. The SASD was also featured on Forbes' inaugural list of America’s Best-in-State Employers in 2019!

Forbes Best Employers by State 2025

“We are incredibly proud to once again be recognized among the best employers in Wisconsin,” said Superintendent Dr. Jake Konrath. “Our district values a ‘we mentality,’ where working together is truly a priority. This honor celebrates the dedication and commitment of our employees who make the Sheboygan Area School District such a special place for students, families, and our community.”

The Sheboygan Area School District attributes its success to strong staff support and professional growth opportunities, including pairing new teachers with experienced mentors, providing full days of professional development throughout the school year, and offering competitive compensation and benefits. The SASD also offers a free, on-site Teacher Development Institute, and, new in 2025, a Principal Development Institute. These initiatives foster employee satisfaction, strengthen retention, and create a positive, supportive workplace that directly enhances student outcomes.

SASD joins two other Sheboygan County-based employers, Acuity and Kohler Co., on this year’s list.

-

Methodology, from Forbes:

To create this seventh annual list, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 160,000 employees who work for a company of at least 500 people within the United States. Survey respondents—hailing from all 50 states and Washington D.C.—were asked how likely they were to recommend their employer on a scale of zero to 10 and were asked to evaluate their workplace based on criteria including wage parity, work culture, paths to professional advancement and whether the employer takes action on serious issues, such as sexual harassment. Participants were also asked to evaluate their previous employers (within the last two years) and organizations they knew within their industry or through friends or family who work there.

Responses were then tallied and incorporated into a scoring system, along with survey data from the past three years. Greater weight was given to the more recent data and to the responses from current employees within the state. Companies that received the highest scores in each state made our final lists, with each state ranking between three and 102 employers, depending on the size of the state and the number of responses received. Some employers were ranked in multiple states.