The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in Social studies. The lowest is 53% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Benton Elementary
Benton Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, making it the only school a child will attend in this part of the Benton School District before moving on elsewhere for middle and high school. The school is located in the small rural village of Benton, Wisconsin, in the southwest corner of Lafayette County, near where the state meets both Iowa and Illinois. The village sits among open farmland and rolling hills in Wisconsin’s dairy country, and the school is integrated into the village center rather than isolated on a separate campus. The community is quiet and sparsely populated, with a slow but steady population increase in recent years and a modest median home value that is lower than the state benchmark, which may appeal to families looking for an affordable rural setting.
The student body is small and overwhelmingly white, with a much smaller share of Hispanic students and a small number of students identifying as two or more races. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that reflects the economic mix of the community. Data on special education and English learner populations was not reported for this school, so those proportions are unknown.
Academically, Benton Elementary’s performance on Wisconsin’s Forward assessments varies by grade and subject, with some clear bright spots and some areas where proficiency drops off. In fourth grade, a large majority of students met or exceeded the state’s proficiency benchmark in both math and English language arts, and fourth-grade science and social studies results were particularly strong. Third-grade results in math and English were also positive, with a majority of students scoring proficient. In fifth grade, however, the picture shifted notably. In math, just under half of students were proficient, and in English language arts, the share was lower still. Sixth-grade math and English proficiency rates fell in a similar range. These results mean that while younger students in the school are performing well, the upper elementary grades show a dip that a parent may want to discuss with the school to understand what supports are in place. Overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits slightly below the midpoint when compared with other school districts in Lafayette County, a narrow gap that places Benton Elementary in the lower half of a small, rural county system.
Because the school only goes through sixth grade, there is no high school graduation rate or postsecondary data to report. No information was available on chronic absenteeism, disciplinary rates, or staffing ratios, so it is not possible to speak to student engagement or the learning environment from statistical data. Program offerings, such as arts, music, or extracurriculars, were also not reported.
For families considering Benton, the school offers a very small, rural setting where a child will attend the same building from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, likely with a consistent peer group across those years. The academic picture is strongest in the early elementary years, and the dip in fifth and sixth grade is worth asking about directly. The village itself is quiet and rooted in agriculture, with limited commercial activity and community life centered on civic and church events. Housing is more affordable than the state average, and the population is growing very slowly, suggesting a stable rather than rapidly changing market. Families who want a tightly knit school in a rural village with lower housing costs will find a natural fit here, while those seeking wide program offerings or a more competitive academic environment among elementary peers may want to look further into what the upper-elementary experience looks like day to day.
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