The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Math. The lowest is 15% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Waterville-elysian-morristown Jr.
Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Jr. serves grades seven and eight in the small, rural community of Morristown, a compact town along the southern bank of the Cannon River in Rice County. This is a junior high school within the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (WEM) School District, a consolidated district that pulls students from several small towns and the surrounding countryside. The school itself is classified as a regular public school, and it is not a charter or magnet school. There was no Title I status reported in the data.
The student body is small. Among those enrolled, the large majority are white, with a much smaller share of Hispanic students and even fewer students who are Black or of two or more races. A notable share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's grade band is limited to seventh and eighth graders, so there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not serve tested grades for certain statewide science assessments that occur at different levels.
On state assessments for the most recent year available, math proficiency was stronger than reading proficiency, and both showed a pattern of results where eighth graders performed at a higher rate than seventh graders. In math, a majority of the school's students were proficient, with a notably higher share in eighth grade. In reading, a smaller share of students overall were proficient, again with the eighth-grade cohort performing at a higher rate than the seventh-grade cohort. Science results for eighth graders were lower; a parent may want to discuss this further with the school to understand the context. Because only one year of data was available in the trend set, there is no year-over-year comparison to show whether these results are an improvement or a decline. Compared to other districts in Rice County, the school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint among its neighbor districts, which is a solid position.
The district undertook a significant facilities construction and remodeling project that was completed a few years ago. Those upgrades have resulted in improved school buildings that affect the daily environment for students across the WEM district, including at the junior high.
For families considering this school, the core takeaway is straightforward. Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Jr. is a small, rural junior high that shows notably stronger math proficiency than reading proficiency on state tests, and its overall academic performance is competitive with other Rice County districts. The student population is predominantly white with a moderate level of economic diversity. The town itself is very small, with limited commercial activity and a low-density residential feel; the Sakatah State Trail runs through Morristown, and the Cannon River provides a natural anchor, but there is no dense downtown or urban pedestrian environment. Housing in Morristown has appreciated in recent years, though the area remains a low-cost alternative to more expensive parts of the state. Families in the district send their children to schools located across multiple communities, so daily commutes may involve travel between towns. This is a school that fits a family looking for a small, consolidated rural district with solid math performance and a recent investment in its physical facilities, where the community is quiet and recreation is oriented toward the surrounding lakes, river, and trails.
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