The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Math. The lowest is 20% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Daniel Wertz Elementary School
Daniel Wertz Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Evansville, Indiana, as part of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation. It is a regular public school with a sizable enrollment for an elementary building. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of students who identify as two or more races and smaller shares of Black and Hispanic students. A substantial portion of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic circumstances many families bring to the school.
Evansville itself is the regional commercial, medical, and cultural hub for southwestern Indiana and parts of neighboring Illinois and Kentucky. Its economy rests on a mix of manufacturing, healthcare, and retail, with the University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana anchoring the education and employment landscape. The city has seen a modest population decline in recent years, a trend that shapes the housing market and school-age enrollment across the district. Public transit, parks, and cultural venues like Mesker Park Zoo and the Ford Center define the broader community context.
On state assessments, the school’s results present a mixed picture. In math, just under half of students scored at the proficient level or above, a rate that positions the school comfortably above the midpoint when compared with other elementary schools in Vanderburgh County. In English language arts, that figure is lower, with roughly a third of students reaching proficiency. Science and social studies results are lower still, with fewer than three in ten students testing proficient in science and below one in five in social studies. These are the school’s own reported outcomes, and a parent considering Wertz would want to understand how the school addresses the gap between its stronger math performance and the weaker results in reading and other subjects.
The school has full participation on the math and English language arts tests, so the results reflect the majority of enrolled students. Because Wertz serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism and special populations such as students with disabilities or English learners was not available. A parent may wish to ask the school directly about those populations and how they are served.
The Evansville housing market offers a mix of affordability relative to national benchmarks. Home values and rents are below the state average, and the area’s cost of living generally aligns with its mid-sized, Midwestern character. For families living in the school’s attendance zone on the city’s west side, the commute and housing trade-offs are typical of a city neighborhood school within a unified district.
Daniel Wertz Elementary is a school where math instruction appears to be a relative strength compared to other subjects and compared to its county peers. The reading and science scores suggest room for growth that the school and district are likely aware of. For a family that values a neighborhood school with a diverse economic mix and a solid math foundation, Wertz is a plausible option. For those prioritizing high reading proficiency or looking for a school with a clear track record of academic acceleration, a closer look at how the school addresses its weaker areas would be warranted.
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