The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in Social studies. The lowest is 44% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Gresham Elementary
Gresham Elementary serves children from four-year-old kindergarten through fifth grade in the small rural village of Gresham, Wisconsin, a community of lakes and woodlands in Shawano County. The school is the only elementary in the Gresham School District, and with a modest enrollment across a handful of classrooms, it offers the kind of close-knit setting that families in small towns often seek. Because the school stops at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report; students move on to the district’s middle and high school.
The village itself sits along the Red River, where Upper and Lower Red Lakes and several smaller lakes and trout streams surround the area. The population includes a notable share of Native American residents, reflecting proximity to the Menominee Reservation, and the village operates its own hydroelectric plant that supplies a portion of local electricity. The village has seen a slight population decline in recent years, and the development trajectory is quiet, with no major new housing projects publicly reported. The school sits within this compact village, likely a short walk or drive from most homes.
Academically, Gresham Elementary’s state test results show a pattern that varies by grade and subject. In third grade, a strong majority of students met or exceeded expectations in math, and fourth graders also posted solid math results. Fifth-grade math proficiency dropped to a point where fewer than half of students reached that bar. In English language arts, the picture is more uneven: third-grade results showed a modest share proficient, fourth grade improved to about half, and fifth grade returned to that lower level. Fourth graders took science and social studies assessments; the science result was around the midpoint, while social studies stood out with a clear majority meeting the standard. Across all tested grades and subjects, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it in the top quartile compared to other districts in Shawano County—a meaningful strength given the rural context. The school population is small enough that a handful of students can shift these figures considerably, so a parent may want to discuss grade-level trends directly with the school.
The student body reflects the surrounding area’s diversity. White students make up the largest single group, but a substantial portion of students are Native American, and many more identify as two or more races. Hispanic students also form a noticeable share. Slightly over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic reality in this rural community. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records reviewed, so a parent should ask about those support structures directly.
Housing in the Gresham area is relatively affordable compared to state and national medians, with values far below typical Wisconsin figures. That may matter for families considering a move. The district itself did not yield any publicly reported information about recent changes such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or property-tax adjustments, so parents looking for that context will need to attend a school board meeting or check local news.
Gresham Elementary is a straightforward, community-based school for early grades. Its academic strengths in math at the lower grades and in social studies are clear, while literacy results suggest room for growth in later elementary years. The village’s quiet pace, natural surroundings, and mix of cultures give the school a distinctive character not found in larger or more homogeneous districts.
See more original research from School Decision →