The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in Social studies. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Adams-friendship Elementary
Adams-Friendship Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in the Adams-Friendship Area School District, a district shared by the city of Adams and the adjacent Village of Friendship. This is a regular public school in a small, predominantly residential city that grew around railroad jobs and today retains a quiet, small-town character. The school building is situated on North Pierce Street within the community, part of a traditional layout where schools are not on remote campuses. The city itself has experienced minimal population growth, and local leaders have publicly described a focus on redeveloping the Main Street corridor. The district has also launched a virtual schooling option, A-F Virtual, as a permanent alternative to in-person instruction.
The student body is predominantly white, with a noticeable Hispanic population and a small share of students who identify as two or more races. Just under half of the students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a substantial share. The school serves only early elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and state testing results are limited to the grades that take the Wisconsin Forward exam.
On the 2025 Forward assessments, the school’s results show a varied picture. In third-grade math, about two in every five students scored proficient or above. In fourth-grade math, that share rose to nearly half. In English language arts, third-grade proficiency was lower, with just over a quarter of students proficient. Fourth-grade English language arts was stronger at two out of five students proficient. In fourth-grade science, about a third of students were proficient. The strongest tested subject was fourth-grade social studies, where nearly half of students reached proficiency. All tested grades and subjects had full participation, meaning every student present took the exams. These numbers represent a single year’s snapshot, and because the grade span is narrow, the data covers only a handful of tested points. A parent may want to follow up with the school about how these results compare to previous years and what specific instructional supports are in place.
Because this school serves only early elementary grades, some of the metrics commonly used to evaluate secondary schools do not apply. There is no graduation rate, no data on chronic absenteeism, and no course access or discipline data that would be relevant to this grade band. The school’s enrollment is made up of roughly equal class sizes across kindergarten through fourth grade, with a pre-kindergarten program that adds a modest number of younger students.
Overall, Adams-Friendship Elementary is a neighborhood school serving a small, stable community. The academic picture from the state’s Forward tests shows uneven results across subjects, with math and social studies generally stronger than English language arts and science in the tested grades. The substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals suggests a community with economic challenges. For a family considering this school, the key factors are the limited grade span, the small-town setting with little growth pressure, and the academic results as reported. The offerings for the earliest grades are what a family would expect from a regular public elementary school in a rural district.
See more original research from School Decision →