The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Social studies. The lowest is 36% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Glenwood City Elementary
Glenwood City Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the small, rural community of Glenwood City, Wisconsin, a place known as the “City of 57 Hills” that sits along Tiffany Creek in St. Croix County. The school is part of the Glenwood City School District, which operates a single K-12 complex on the southeast edge of town, separate from the civic core around Oak Street where the municipal building and library are located. The district recently secured funding through an operational referendum approved by voters in 2024, a measure that allowed it to exceed the state revenue limit for several years to close a budget deficit and maintain current programming and staffing. That decision carries property-tax implications for residents but also signals a community commitment to sustaining the schools in a town that has seen slow population growth.
The student body at Glenwood City Elementary is predominantly white, with small shares of students who are Hispanic, Asian, Black, or of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with notable economic diversity. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and serves only the early grades, so there is no graduation rate to report for this building.
State assessment results from the 2024-25 school year show a mixed picture across grade levels and subjects. In math, proficiency rates declined notably as students moved up in grade. Third graders had a rate that was close to half of students meeting the bar, while fourth graders were below that mark, and fifth graders were at a lower point still. In English language arts, the pattern did not follow a straight line. Third graders were at a rate that was a bit above two in five students proficient, fourth graders dipped below that, and fifth graders climbed back up to a rate that was the strongest for any tested grade in that subject. Science results for fourth graders, a single-year snapshot, placed the proficiency rate at about two in five students, while social studies for the same grade was the school’s strongest tested area, with a clear majority of fourth graders meeting the standard.
When compared against other districts in St. Croix County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades fell in the bottom quartile of the six-district cohort. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the curriculum and instruction are aligned across grade levels, particularly given the drop in math performance from third to fifth grade and the uneven reading results.
The community context matters for families deciding whether this setting fits. Glenwood City is a low-density rural town with agricultural surroundings, a modest commercial core, and civic life that revolves around the St. Croix County Fair, a Renaissance Faire, and a rodeo. Housing values in the area are near the state benchmark, and the typical home price is above the national average, though the gap is not extreme. The town is located a short distance north of an interstate highway, giving residents access to the Twin Cities and Eau Claire. No public transit system is evident, and the built environment is not pedestrian-oriented, so a car-dependent lifestyle is the norm.
For a family considering this school, the key factors are straightforward. This is a single elementary school in a small district that has taken steps to stabilize its finances. The student body is not highly diverse economically or racially within a largely white community. Test performance is uneven, with some bright spots in social studies and fifth-grade reading but real soft spots in math, especially at the upper elementary grades. Parents with a child entering the early grades may want to ask how the school supports students who are below proficiency and whether there is a coherent approach to math instruction across the grade span. The absence of a full program inventory or civil rights data such as discipline rates means those questions would need to come directly from the school.
See more original research from School Decision →