The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Social studies. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Fort Howard Elementary
Fort Howard Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Green Bay Area Public School District. It is located on Dousman Street in the city of Green Bay. The school occupies a neighborhood setting in a mid-sized industrial and commercial city that was historically shaped by paper manufacturing and meatpacking and where healthcare is now the dominant employment sector. The broader district has recently undergone significant reorganization: in 2024 the Board of Education voted to consolidate several elementary schools, with some buildings expected to close after the 2025-26 school year. A referendum held in November 2024 was tied to that plan. Families currently assigned to Fort Howard should be aware that these district-wide changes could affect future attendance boundaries, though the school itself was not among those named for closure in the consolidation vote.
The student body is diverse. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a higher-poverty context than many others in the area. Racially and ethnically, the enrollment includes a mix of Hispanic, Black, white, and multiracial students, along with smaller shares of American Indian or Alaska Native and Asian students. This composition gives the school a notably multiethnic peer environment.
On state assessments administered through the Wisconsin Forward exam in the 2024-25 school year, Fort Howard Elementary posted proficiency rates that, when averaged across all tested subjects and grades, placed it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Brown County. The proficiency index fell below the county median. In specific subjects, the numbers varied by grade. In mathematics, third-grade students showed proficiency at a rate that was somewhat below most peers, while fourth-grade proficiency was in a similar range. Fifth-grade math proficiency was substantially lower. In English language arts, fourth graders performed better than third or fifth graders. Science proficiency for fourth graders was lower than the social studies proficiency for the same grade, where a majority of fourth-grade students met the standard. These results do not provide a single picture: some grade-level cohorts performed notably better than others, and social studies was a relative bright spot. A parent may want to ask the school how it addresses the variability between grade levels and subjects, particularly the drops in fifth-grade math and English language arts.
The school serves only elementary grades, so it does not have a graduation rate. State testing data for pre-kindergarten through second grade was not available because those grades are not tested under the Forward exam. No information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or course access was provided in the available data. The school's staffing data and special education or English learner counts were also not reported in the sources used here, so a parent interested in class sizes, teacher qualifications, or the proportion of students receiving specialized support should follow up directly with the school.
Housing in the school's zip code shows a typical pattern for the region: home values and rents are below the statewide benchmark, and the estimated rent-to-income ratio suggests that renting is somewhat more affordable than the national average. The neighborhood around Fort Howard is an older residential area of Green Bay, and the city itself has seen a slight population decline in recent years while the broader metro area remains stable.
Overall, Fort Howard Elementary is a high-poverty, diverse neighborhood school whose academic proficiency numbers sit on the lower end relative to other schools in Brown County. The school does have a grade-level strength in fourth-grade reading and a solid showing in fourth-grade social studies. Families considering this school will likely want to inquire about specific academic support programs, how the school addresses the variability in performance from one grade to the next, and what the district's ongoing consolidation plans mean for the school's long-term role in the community.
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