The top reported proficiency rate is 81% in Math. The lowest is 78% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Silver Spring Intermediate
Silver Spring Intermediate serves exactly two grades, fifth and sixth, and functions as a bridge between elementary school and the middle school years in the Hamilton School District. The school sits in Sussex, a suburban village in Waukesha County that is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Sussex has been growing steadily, with a rising population and a housing stock dominated by owner-occupied single-family homes at values that are elevated relative to state benchmarks. The village is also a regional employment hub, anchored by the headquarters of Quad, and it draws commuters from surrounding counties. The area has a car-dependent, suburban character, though the Bugline Trail and a system of parks and nature preserves provide recreational routes. The school’s families live in a community that is adding households, and the district itself recently secured additional operational funding through a voter-approved referendum, indicating a community that has chosen to invest in its schools.
The student body at Silver Spring Intermediate is predominantly White, with a significant Asian population and smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and Black students. About one in eight students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that is relatively low and points to a generally affluent community context. The school’s size, for a two-grade building, is substantial, with nearly eight hundred students. This is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation, and it does not have a Title I status, which is consistent with the lower share of students from low-income households.
Academically, the school posts strong results on Wisconsin’s Forward assessments. In both fifth and sixth grade, math proficiency rates are well into the range that would be considered above typical, and ELA proficiency rates are similarly high. The school’s overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among the twenty-one districts in Waukesha County for which data is available. This is a county with many high-performing districts, so being above the midpoint is a meaningful indicator that the school is performing at a level parents would see as solid and reliable. Participation rates on the assessments are very high, which means the results reflect nearly the entire student body rather than a selective subset. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.
A parent considering Silver Spring Intermediate should understand the school’s specific purpose. It is not a K-5 or a 6-8 school but a dedicated intermediate building that houses the two-year period between elementary and middle school. The community it serves is growing and financially stable, and the school’s academic results are consistently strong. For a family moving into the area or evaluating the Hamilton district, this school represents a high-performing option for these two critical transition years. The absence of data on special education and English learner populations means that a family with specific needs in those areas may want to inquire directly with the school about supports and staffing.
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