The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Wilson Elementary
Wilson Elementary, a regular public school in Beaver Dam serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, offers a picture of uneven academic performance within a small, high-poverty student body. The school is part of the Beaver Dam Unified School District, which is located in a city of modest size that is actively growing, with new housing developments and industrial projects underway. For a family considering this school, the central question is whether its specific grade-level strengths and its overall resource context align with their child’s needs.
State testing data from the most recent school year shows a clear split by subject and grade. In math, the school’s proficiency rate was solid in third grade, dipped in fourth grade, and then recovered moderately in fifth grade, landing above the midpoint for proficiency among elementary schools in Dodge County. In English language arts, the picture was more variable: third graders demonstrated a very high proficiency rate, but fourth and fifth graders posted markedly lower results. Science and social studies, tested only in fourth grade, each produced a proficiency rate in line with that grade’s math and ELA results. The small testing cohorts in each grade mean that these rates can shift meaningfully from one year to the next, so a single year’s data should be interpreted with that caveat. A parent may want to ask the school about instructional consistency across the upper elementary grades.
The student body is small and predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic minority and a small share of multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. This economic profile is typical of many schools in the district and the wider community; the city has a lower cost of living than state and national averages, and the district has been operating without referendum requests in recent years, with a tax rate that rose modestly in 2024-25 due to operational costs. The school does not report counts for students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent in either category should contact the school directly about services.
The district has made two recent, permanent changes to its elementary program. It moved its four-year-old kindergarten to a full-day model starting in 2023-24, a shift that adds instructional time and aligns with child care schedules. It also adopted a new science-based literacy curriculum for elementary grades, with full implementation in 2024-25, in response to a state law. These changes give the school a newer, more structured approach to early reading and kindergarten readiness than it had just a few years ago.
Beaver Dam itself offers a mix of amenities for families. It sits along a large lake with public parks, boat access, and recreational rentals. The downtown has independent shops, dining, and a community theatre. The city is centrally located between larger metro areas and has seen recent infrastructure upgrades to its library and park system. New housing developments and a manufacturing facility are under construction, signaling growth that may draw new families to the area.
For a parent weighing Wilson Elementary, the strongest signal is in the third-grade ELA results, which suggest that the school’s early literacy approach may be working well for that cohort. The weaker results in fourth and fifth grade, particularly in ELA, are worth understanding better. The school’s small size and high-poverty population mean that class sizes are likely modest, but the economic challenges may also place greater demands on teachers and resources. The district’s new literacy curriculum and full-day kindergarten are recent investments that may improve outcomes over time, but the available data only reflects one school year under those changes. Families who can visit, talk with the principal about how the school supports upper elementary students, and ask about interventions for students who fall behind will get the clearest picture of whether this is the right fit.
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