Waunakee Community School District, WI

Original Research by School Decision on Waunakee Community School District

The Waunakee Community School District serves students from four-year-old kindergarten through twelfth grade, with a single high school at the top of the system. It is positioned among Dane County’s districts in the top quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, a measure of the mean of reported proficiency rates. That is a genuinely strong academic footing. Across elementary and middle school grades, proficiency rates in math, English language arts, science, and social studies consistently exceed state averages by a comfortable margin, with several grade-level cohorts scoring well above the midpoint. The strongest performance comes in sixth grade, where proficiency in both math and ELA reaches a high level, and in fourth and eighth grade social studies, where strong majorities of students meet the bar.

The district has a four-year graduation rate; the data we examined did not include it, so we cannot characterize it here directly. Chronic absenteeism, a metric the district tracks, is reported at a rate that places Waunakee in the top quartile among Dane County’s districts, meaning the share of students missing substantial school is relatively low. That is a favorable attendance context.

Enrollment is spread fairly evenly across grades, with a student body that is predominately white, with smaller shares identifying as Hispanic, Asian, two or more races, Black, and other groups. Data on the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch was not available in the source material, a gap that makes it harder to read the economic mix of the student population directly. Information on students with individualized education programs and English learners was also absent from the data provided.

The district operates seven schools: Arboretum Elementary, Waunakee Prairie Elementary, Waunakee Heritage Elementary, Waunakee Intermediate, Waunakee Middle, Waunakee High, and a dedicated 4K school. The most significant recent change is the opening of Heritage Elementary School in 2024. This is a new building serving grades 4K through four that expanded the district’s elementary capacity and redrew attendance boundaries, a practical shift that families moving into the area or already in the district would want to understand before choosing a home. The district brief did not find evidence of a recent referendum or property-tax shift, so the operating budget context appears stable on that front.

Housing in the district reflects the area’s desirability. The weighted home value sits above the Wisconsin statewide benchmark and well above the national benchmark, and the weighted rent also runs above the state median. The typical monthly mortgage on a home in the district would be higher than the typical rent, making homeownership a stretch relative to renting, though the rent-to-income ratio is still manageable by national standards. The bulk of the district’s housing stock is concentrated in Waunakee, with smaller contributions from Dane, De Forest, Middleton, and Madison. A family considering this district should expect a relatively expensive housing market compared to much of the state.

The district sits in Dane County, which includes Madison and its suburbs, and the local unemployment rate has been low. The economic environment is stable. Per-pupil current spending falls in the middle range but in the upper half among the county’s districts, suggesting resource levels that are adequate and competitive locally.

We looked for program offerings such as Advanced Placement, career and technical education, or dual-credit pathways, but the data provided did not include that detail. A parent researching postsecondary preparation options would want to check with the high school directly. The district’s website and school profiles are the next step for that information.

For whom does this fit. A family that values consistently above-average test performance from elementary through middle school, a low-chronic-absenteeism environment, and the stability of a suburban district with a single high school will find a strong match here. The housing costs are elevated, so it is more accessible to households with higher incomes. The absence of free-lunch, special-education, and English-learner data means a reader interested in student support services should ask the district directly. The district’s academic record is its calling card, and that record is clear.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

4,410

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 8%

Black 2%

White 83%

Asian 3%

Two+ 5%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

45%

73%

Gr 4

50%

80%

Gr 5

41%

80%

Gr 6

59%

85%

Gr 7

31%

78%

Gr 8

54%

79%

Math

Gr 3

41%

68%

Gr 4

54%

75%

Gr 5

46%

78%

Gr 6

48%

87%

Gr 7

38%

86%

Gr 8

46%

74%

Science

Gr 4

54%

71%

Gr 8

57%

75%

Social studies

Gr 4

71%

84%

Gr 8

68%

84%

source_specific:read

Gr 3

45%

75%

Gr 4

59%

78%

Gr 5

41%

81%

Gr 6

59%

84%

Gr 7

36%

77%

Gr 8

57%

77%

source_specific:wri

Gr 3

45%

69%

Gr 4

45%

80%

Gr 5

37%

77%

Gr 6

59%

83%

Gr 7

31%

75%

Gr 8

49%

78%

Schools in this District

7 schools are officially reported under this district.

Waunakee Heritage Elementary

Waunakee Prairie Elementary

Waunakee Intermediate

Waunakee High

Waunakee Middle

Arboretum Elementary

Waunakee Community 4K School

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

66%

Grade 3

73%

Grade 4

76%

Grade 5

83%

Grade 6

80%

Grade 7

71%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

71%

Grade 3

78%

Grade 4

76%

Grade 5

83%

Grade 6

72%

Grade 7

77%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

70%

Grade 4

73%

Grade 8

Social Studies

2 grades reported

83%

Grade 4

83%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$581,890

Year-over-year change+2.6%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$380K to $625K

vs. state typical1.74x

vs. national typical1.58x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
53597	Waunakee	$600K	+2.5%	81.5%
53529	Dane	$508K	+3.3%	14.6%
53704	Madison	$380K	+1.9%	1.5%
53562	Middleton	$625K	+2.4%	1.3%
53532	De Forest	$477K	+2.6%	1.1%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$2,019/mo

Year-over-year change+2.4%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,593 to $2,038/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
53597	Waunakee	$2,038	—	81.5%
53704	Madison	$1,598	+1.1%	1.5%
53562	Middleton	$1,671	+2.3%	1.3%
53532	De Forest	$1,593	+4.3%	1.1%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,936/mo

Home price / national median income7.0x

Annual rent / national median income28.9%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$918/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$333,909 (+5.4% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.