Red Creek Elementary, Black River Falls WI

Original Research by School Decision on Red Creek Elementary

Red Creek Elementary serves second through fifth grade in Black River Falls, a small city that is the county seat of Jackson County in western Wisconsin. The school is part of the Black River Falls School District and sits apart from the downtown core in a setting that is auto-oriented, with Interstate 94 passing nearby. The community itself is compact, with a historic downtown, a remodeled public library, and outdoor recreation anchored by the Black River State Forest and Lake Arbutus. The Ho-Chunk Nation is a major local institution, operating its administrative center and a casino and hotel here. Population has been stable, and the former high school has been converted to apartments, a sign of adaptive reuse rather than new growth.

Red Creek is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Its enrollment is roughly what one would expect for a school covering four elementary grades, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable American Indian or Alaska Native population and smaller shares of students who are Hispanic, Asian, Black, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or of two or more races. Data on students with Individualized Education Programs and English learners was not available.

State testing results from the Wisconsin Forward exam are on hand for math, English language arts, science, and social studies across the grades this school serves. Participation rates were very high, above 98 percent in every tested grade and subject. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above was below half in each of grades three, four, and five. English language arts results were lower, with the third-grade proficient rate below a third, and fourth and fifth grades scoring slightly higher but still under half. Science proficiency for fourth graders was also below half. Social studies stood out: the fourth-grade proficiency rate was the strongest of any tested subject, approaching three-fifths. Taking all tested subjects and grades together, the school's overall proficiency index placed it at the lower end of the three districts in Jackson County. A parent may want to look into how the school's academic support programs address these results, particularly in reading and math, where most students are not yet reaching the proficient threshold.

Information on programming was not available. There was no data on course access, staffing ratios, or attendance. The district brief turned up little in the way of recent parent-relevant changes. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.

For a family considering Red Creek Elementary, the picture is of a mid-sized elementary school in a stable, small-town setting with an outdoors-oriented community and a notable Ho-Chunk presence. Academically, state assessment results show that most students are scoring below the proficient mark in reading and math, while social studies is a relative bright spot. The school's composition is diverse in the sense of a meaningful American Indian population, but not highly diverse overall. If you are a parent trying to decide whether this is the right fit, these are the facts to weigh against your own priorities for academic support, peer environment, and community context.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 46%

▼ 10 pts below state median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 8 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 19 pts below state median

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 14 pts below state median

Grade 542%

School 42% · District 42%

▼ 9 pts below state median

Science

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 58%

▼ 7 pts below state median

This schoolBlack River Falls School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income25%Higher-income49%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income51%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income28%Higher-income58%31 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income39%Higher-income57%18 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income30%Higher-income57%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income63%37 pp gap