Southwestern Wisconsin Elementary, Hazel Green WI

Original Research by School Decision on Southwestern Wisconsin Elementary

Southwestern Wisconsin Elementary serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in the small agricultural village of Hazel Green, in the Driftless Area near the borders of Illinois and Iowa. It is a regular public school, and its roughly two hundred sixty students come predominantly from white backgrounds, with small shares of Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students. About three in ten students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of economic need that sits at a moderate level for a rural Wisconsin school.

State assessment results from a recent school year show a pattern worth noting. Proficiency rates vary by grade and subject. In third grade, a strong majority of students met or exceeded expectations in both math and English language arts. Fifth grade results were also solid, with roughly two-thirds proficient in math and just over half in English. Fourth grade, however, brought a noticeable dip: about half of students were proficient in math and just under half in English. Fourth grade science and social studies results followed a similar spread, with social studies showing a somewhat higher share of proficient students than science. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to consider, and the school does not report chronic absenteeism data. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint compared with other districts in Grant County.

Information on special populations, such as students with disabilities or English learners, was not available from the reported data. The same is true for discipline statistics, staffing ratios, and course access. Families who want details on support services or class sizes may need to follow up directly with the school or district.

The village of Hazel Green itself is quiet and low-density. Daily errands and most services require a short drive to nearby Dubuque, Galena, or Platteville. The largest local employer is the Southwestern Wisconsin Community School District itself, which employs nearly a hundred people. A small commercial layer exists alongside residential homes and agricultural land. Housing values have risen in recent years, consistent with broader regional trends, but the population has been essentially flat to slightly declining. The village has purchased land for an industrial park, signaling some effort toward economic development, though residential growth pressure appears minimal.

A publicly reported consolidation study commissioned by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction recommended that the Southwestern Wisconsin district merge with those of Benton, Cuba City, and Shullsburg, citing a declining student population. The district already shares some computer services and staffing with two of those districts. This recommendation, if pursued, could reshape the educational landscape for families in Hazel Green and the surrounding area. The timing and outcome of any action remain unclear from available sources, but it is a factor a parent or resident may want to track.

Southwestern Wisconsin Elementary offers a standard elementary program in a rural, small-town setting, with academic results that are generally solid relative to nearby districts, though the fourth-grade dip in several subjects may be worth a conversation with the school. The district’s potential consolidation adds a longer-term question mark for families planning many years ahead.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 384%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 51%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 567%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 369%

School 69% · District 69%

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 47%

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

Grade 553%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 47%

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 62%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolSouthwestern Wisconsin 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-income60%Higher-income73%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income49%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income59%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income17%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income63%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income15%Higher-income39%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income80%Higher-income86%6 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income51%1 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income41%Higher-income81%40 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income46%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income36%Higher-income44%7 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income8%Higher-income44%37 pp gap