The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in Social studies. The lowest is 44% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Jefferson Elementary
Jefferson Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Beaver Dam Unified School District. It is one of five primary schools in the district, located in the city of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. The school sits along Brook Street, within a community that blends residential neighborhoods with a walkable downtown, lakefront recreation, and a pace that the city's own materials describe as quieter daily life at a lower cost of living. The city is experiencing active growth, with multiple new housing developments, a new manufacturing facility, and a major development site underway, all of which signal a community that is expanding rather than shrinking.
Jefferson Elementary enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic presence, and smaller shares of students who are two or more races, Asian, or Black. More than six out of ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a context where economic need is widespread but not universal. The student population is moderately sized for an elementary school, and the school serves a full range of early grades. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those populations are supported and how large they are.
On state assessments, the school's results show a pattern of stronger performance in the earlier tested grades and a noticeable drop-off by fifth grade in both math and English language arts. Third graders posted relatively high proficiency in both subjects, with math and ELA rates that were among the stronger showings in the data. Fourth grade results slipped, particularly in math, and by fifth grade the proficiency rates in both subjects were lower, with ELA falling to around two out of five students reaching proficiency. Science was tested only in fourth grade, where a bit more than two out of five students were proficient, while social studies that same year drew a higher share of proficient students. The overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades, which averages these results, places Jefferson Elementary in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Dodge County. That is a soft spot, and a parent considering the school may want to discuss with staff how the school supports students as they move through the upper elementary grades, particularly in math and reading.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available. Because the school is a regular elementary school without a specialized or alternative designation, the missing attendance and special population data appears to be a reporting gap rather than a structural feature.
The district has made several recent changes that directly affect Jefferson Elementary families. Starting in the 2023-24 school year, the district moved its 4K program from half-day to full-day, a shift that gives younger students more instructional time and aligns better with working parents' schedules. The district also adopted a new science-based literacy curriculum for elementary grades, in compliance with a state law, with full implementation beginning in the 2024-25 school year. That means Jefferson students are being taught reading through structured literacy methods, with universal screening for reading difficulties in the early grades. At the high school level, the district introduced new career and technical education pathways in health sciences, information technology, and advanced manufacturing, though that is relevant only for parents who are looking ahead to where their child will eventually attend.
Housing costs in the area are below the statewide benchmark, and rents are similarly moderate, which aligns with the city's framing of a lower cost of living. The property tax rate for the district has moved modestly in recent years, rising slightly in the 2024-25 budget due to operational costs, and the district has not placed a referendum on the ballot, instead operating within its existing budget authority.
For a family considering this school, the picture is one of a neighborhood elementary in a growing but still modestly priced city, with early literacy curriculum changes underway and a test-score profile that starts strong in third grade but shows a decline in proficiency by fifth grade. The economic need among students is high, which can bring additional resources and also additional challenges. A parent may want to learn more about class sizes, the specific supports available for students who are not yet proficient in the upper grades, and how the school communicates with families about its new literacy approach.
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