Chegwin Elementary, Fond Du Lac WI

Original Research by School Decision on Chegwin Elementary

Chegwin Elementary serves prekindergarten through fifth grade in the Fond du Lac School District, a regular public school located on the city’s east side. The school sits within a mid-sized county seat whose economy blends manufacturing, dairy processing, and service jobs, anchored by employers such as Mercury Marine, Giddings & Lewis, and St. Agnes Hospital. Fond du Lac offers a historic downtown core, a large lakeside park on Lake Winnebago, and two colleges, but Chegwin’s neighborhood itself is residential, within a short distance of the downtown corridor.

The student body is diverse. The largest group is white students, followed by Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Black, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating the school serves a population that is, on the whole, economically less advantaged than many others in the area. The enrollment is small enough that class sizes tend to be moderate, with roughly balanced grade-level cohorts.

State testing data from the 2024-25 school year provides a picture of where Chegwin’s students stand academically. Across the tested grades, proficiency rates in math, English language arts, and science fall below the median for elementary schools in Fond du Lac County. In third-grade math and ELA, for example, the share of students meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark is low. Performance improves somewhat in fourth and fifth grades, particularly in math, but remains below county averages overall. Fourth-grade social studies scores come closer to the county midpoint, though still not at the top tier. When compared against other districts within Fond du Lac County on an overall proficiency index, Chegwin places in the bottom quartile. This is a soft spot that a parent may want to explore further with the school — understanding what academic interventions, supports, or curricula are in place could be important for families weighing their options.

Because Chegwin only serves elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Likewise, chronic absenteeism data and special population counts — such as students with disabilities or English learners — were not available in the data provided, so it is not possible to assess those dimensions of the school environment from this source. The school does not appear to have charter or magnet status, and information on Title I status was also absent.

The Fond du Lac School District as a whole operates nine elementary schools, three middle schools, a STEM academy, and a high school. No recent district-level changes that would directly affect families — such as boundary shifts, program launches, or budget adjustments — were found in publicly available materials for the period searched.

Housing in the Fond du Lac area has become more expensive in recent years. Home values and rents have risen, though they remain below the statewide benchmark. For a family considering the neighborhood around Chegwin, the local market is tighter than a few years ago but still more affordable than many parts of Wisconsin. The city’s transit system provides bus routes, and the lakefront park is a dominant recreational amenity.

Chegwin Elementary offers a standard elementary program in a setting that reflects the broader demographic and economic mix of the city. Its academic results lag behind many peers in the county, which is the main concern the data raises. Families who value strong test scores may want to compare with other elementary options in the district. For those who prioritize a neighborhood school with a diverse student body and a solid district framework, Chegwin remains a straightforward choice, though the academic challenges are real and worth investigating directly with the school’s staff.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 334%

School 34% · District 62% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 58% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 57% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 58% · ▼ 32 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 51% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 55% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Science

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 50% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 59% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolFond du Lac 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-income20%Higher-income36%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income63%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income50%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income33%Higher-income36%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income41%Higher-income50%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income50%6 pp gap