The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in Social studies. The lowest is 31% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Williamstown Elementary
Williamstown Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the Williamstown Independent district, a small system that serves the county seat of Grant County. The school sits at the center of a town that has seen its character shift noticeably in recent years with the opening of the Ark Encounter theme park, a major employer and tourism draw that has brought new attention and development to an otherwise rural community. Main Street and the surrounding downtown still hold local shops and restaurants, and Interstate 75 runs through the west side of town, making the area car-dependent. The school itself is a regular public school, and the district did not have any specific major changes recently reported that would affect families day to day, so parents will find a relatively stable setting.
The student body is predominantly white, with a modest share of Hispanic students and a very small number of students identifying as two or more races. A little over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a meaningful share and aligns with the school being a Title I school. The school is medium-sized for an elementary, with classes of roughly sixty to eighty students per grade across kindergarten through fifth grade.
On state assessments, Williamstown Elementary’s results show a pattern that families will want to examine closely. In math, proficiency rates rise as students get older. The third-grade cohort posted a rate well below the midpoint for the county’s districts, and the fourth-grade rate was higher than that, while fifth graders reached a proficiency rate that was clearly above the other tested grades. In English language arts, the progression is similar. Third and fourth graders posted rates that were below the county midpoint, while fifth graders reached a higher rate, above the midpoint for the county. In social studies, which is tested only in fifth grade, the proficiency rate was also above the midpoint. Fourth-grade science results were suppressed, so no public data is available for that subject. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades lands just above the midpoint when compared to the other district in Grant County. A parent may want to ask the school directly about what instructional strategies are used in the early grades and whether any recent changes have been made to support students in third and fourth grade, where the numbers are softer.
Because Williamstown Elementary serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not have data on chronic absenteeism or discipline that is publicly available in this set. The school website and the district office would be the best source for families who want to know more about attendance patterns or student support services.
Housing in the area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with home values slightly above the state median. The local unemployment rate is near the national average, and median household income is also in line with national figures, though the cost of a mortgage at current rates would take up a significant portion of a typical household’s income. The town has seen slow but steady growth, and the presence of the Ark Encounter continues to shape the local economy and real estate market.
For a family considering Williamstown Elementary, the school offers a familiar small-town elementary experience within a district that has not undergone dramatic shifts. The academic picture is mixed, with stronger results in the upper elementary grades and a noticeable gap in the lower grades, particularly in reading and math for third graders. A parent who chooses this school will want to be engaged early and stay in close communication with teachers about their child’s foundational skills, especially through third grade. The community itself is compact, with a clear downtown and a lake nearby, and the school sits at the center of a town where most errands require a car. It is a school that fits a family looking for a stable, small, rural elementary option and who is willing to be proactive about academic support in the early years.
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