The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Social studies. The lowest is 33% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on La Farge Elementary
La Farge Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in the La Farge School District, located in the small rural village of La Farge along the Kickapoo River in Vernon County, Wisconsin. The school operates as a single elementary within a district that also includes a middle school and high school on the same street, plus the separately administered Kickapoo Valley Forest School, a nature-based charter serving early primary grades.
The student body is modest in size and predominantly white, with a small share of Hispanic and multiracial students. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic reality of a village where median household income sits well below state averages and where Organic Valley, the farmer-owned organic cooperative headquartered here, stands as the dominant employer. The district undertook a major capital construction project in recent years, an investment that touches the physical setting of the school and carries implications for local property taxes.
State testing results from the Wisconsin Forward assessments are available for grades three through five in math and English language arts, and for grade four in science and social studies. Participation was complete across all tested grades. In math, proficiency rates varied by grade, with some grades showing a level near half of students meeting the bar and others a bit below half. In reading, the picture shifted: one grade posted a level of about half proficient, while the others were lower. Science and social studies results for fourth grade were mixed, with the social studies outcome the stronger of the two. Overall, the school’s combined proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades stands below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Vernon County. Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available. Information on special education identification and English learner status was also missing from the data, so a family wanting to understand those dimensions of student support would need to ask the school directly.
The village of La Farge itself is quiet and fully rural. Its built environment centers on the intersection of two state highways, with modest single-family homes, a small Main Street commercial strip, the village hall, a public library, and the Organic Valley campus. There is no public transit, and street life is minimal. Population has seen a slight decline over recent years, and housing values, while having risen modestly, remain well below the state median. Growth projections are marginal. For families, this is a community where the school is tightly woven into a small, stable crossroads village; the nearest urban amenities require a drive.
A parent considering La Farge Elementary should know that the district offers a distinct alternative in the Kickapoo Valley Forest School, a charter option for early grades that emphasizes outdoor, nature-based learning. That program is separate from the traditional elementary. Within the elementary itself, the academic results suggest room for follow-up questions about how the school supports reading and math growth across the primary years, particularly for the share of students who are not yet meeting state standards. The absence of publicly reported staffing ratios, class sizes, and discipline data means that family experience and direct inquiry would fill in a fuller picture of day-to-day classroom life. For a family that values a small, rural setting with a dominant local employer and a school that is the center of village life, this is a straightforward elementary serving its community.
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