Elkhorn Area Middle, Elkhorn WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Elkhorn Area Middle

Elkhorn Area Middle serves grades six through eight in the Elkhorn Area School District, a regular public school located on Court Street in the city of Elkhorn, which is the county seat of Walworth County. The school is the sole middle school in the district and enrolls a student body that reflects the broader community. Enrollment is heavily white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Academically, Elkhorn Area Middle presents a mixed profile. On the Wisconsin Forward exam, proficiency rates for English language arts show a clear upward trend across the grades. Sixth graders score in the range where roughly half meet the state standard, while seventh and eighth graders post rates that are stronger, each landing comfortably above the midpoint. The pattern is different in math. Sixth grade proficiency sits near half, seventh grade climbs noticeably higher, and eighth grade drops back down to a level similar to sixth grade. Eighth graders also take science and social studies assessments. The science proficiency rate is solid, while the social studies rate is a clear strength, with the highest proficiency of any tested subject or grade. Compared to other schools in Walworth County, Elkhorn Area Middle’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint of the county’s districts. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students making the transition into and out of middle school math, given the uneven results by grade.

The school environment data is thin. Information on discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance was not available, so those areas cannot be characterized. The data also did not include counts for students with disabilities or English learners. For a middle school of this size, a parent may want to inquire directly about class sizes, elective offerings, and how the school supports students who need additional academic help.

Elkhorn itself is a stable, small city that serves as the county government hub. Its traditional downtown centers on a park surrounding the Walworth County Government Center, with modest street life and a major seasonal draw in the Walworth County Fair, the largest county fair in Wisconsin. The city’s population has seen a slight decline since the 2020 census, and its economic anchors are manufacturing, educational services, retail, and county government. The housing stock is primarily owner-occupied, and home values sit moderately above the national benchmark, which matters for families weighing the cost of living against the school’s offerings.

The district recently received voter approval for a major infrastructure referendum, which will fund facility improvements and capital projects. That is a concrete signal that the district is investing in its physical plant, though the election took place in late 2024 and specific projects and timelines were not available in this data. Families moving into the area may want to track what those improvements will mean for the middle school building and programs.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 51% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 57% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 50% · ▲ 1 pts above district

even with state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 53% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 61%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 62% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 70% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolElkhorn Area 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 6Lower-income36%Higher-income60%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income58%Higher-income62%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income59%Higher-income62%3 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income32%Higher-income61%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income61%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income55%13 pp gap