The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Social studies. The lowest is 67% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on South Elementary
South Elementary serves grades three through five in Hartland, a village in Waukesha County’s Lake Country region roughly west of Milwaukee. The school is one of the elementary buildings within the Hartland-Lakeside J3 School District. Hartland itself blends residential neighborhoods with commercial corridors and a growing industrial base; the village describes itself as having small-town charm, with numerous lakes, parks, and golf courses nearby. The community is relatively affluent, though specific demographic figures are not presented in the prose.
The student body at South Elementary is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, two-or-more-races, Asian, and Black students represented. About a modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure worth noting for context but not a defining characteristic of the school. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and Title I status was not available in the data.
State assessment results show a pattern that parents will want to examine by grade and subject. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above rises across the three grades, from a strong majority in third grade to a very high share in fifth grade. In English language arts, the pattern is more uneven: third grade posts a strong majority, fourth grade drops to a lower majority, and fifth grade rebounds to a higher majority. Science, tested only in fourth grade, shows a solid majority reaching proficiency. Social studies in fourth grade shows a very high share proficient. Participation rates on all tests were near universal, which adds confidence to the results.
When placed against other districts in Waukesha County, South Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint of the comparison set. That means while the school’s raw scores are solid in many areas, the competitive field in this corner of the state is strong. A parent moving into the area who is weighing multiple districts may want to see how the trajectory across grades compares to other elementary schools in the county, not just the district as a whole.
Because South Elementary serves only grades three through five, there is no graduation rate to report. That is a function of the grade band, not a missing metric. The school environment and access data, including discipline, course access, staffing, and attendance figures, were not available in the data provided. A parent interested in those areas may wish to ask the school directly.
The district brief turned up no recent major changes or strategic priorities of lasting impact, so that section is left unaddressed rather than guessed at.
Housing in the area reflects a competitive market. Home values in Hartland’s zip code are well above the national benchmark, and rents are also elevated. The county’s housing market shows moderate activity, with listings moving at a pace that is a bit slower than in prior months but still fairly brisk. For families, this means buying or renting in Hartland requires a significant financial commitment, and the school’s academic profile is part of what that investment buys.
For a family looking at South Elementary, the takeaway is a school with strong proficiency in several tested areas, especially upper-grade math and social studies, but with a dip in fourth-grade English language arts that a parent may want to understand better. The student body is not highly diverse and has a relatively low share of economic disadvantage. The peer environment is shaped by an affluent, lake-country suburb with high housing costs. The school is part of a district that sits in a competitive county where many schools perform well. A parent considering South Elementary should feel confident in the academic foundation it provides, but may want to look closely at how the school supports literacy growth between third and fourth grade.
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