Ladysmith Elementary, Ladysmith WI

Original Research by School Decision on Ladysmith Elementary

Ladysmith Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the city of Ladysmith, the county seat of Rusk County. The school sits in a small, compact town along the Flambeau River that was founded as a logging and railroad hub. After the timber industry declined, the local economy shifted toward agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism. The city’s population has been shrinking over the past two decades, though publicly reported industrial investment in two south-side parks shows some economic activity. Housing in the area is more affordable than state and national averages, and the median household income is below the national figure, with a poverty rate noted in local sources.

Enrollment at Ladysmith Elementary is modest for its grade band, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families face economic challenges. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, American Indian, and Black students. The school does not report data on the share of students receiving special education services or English learner support, so those dimensions of student need are not available from the data provided.

State testing results are available for grades three, four, and five in math, English language arts, and for grade four in science and social studies. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s proficiency rates fall in the bottom quartile when compared with other districts in Rusk County. That county comparison includes only three school districts, so the ranking is within a small set, but the position is still the lowest. A parent looking at these results may want to discuss with the school what academic supports and interventions are in place, particularly for students who are not yet meeting the state’s proficiency benchmarks. Participation rates on the assessments were complete, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students in those grades.

Because Ladysmith Elementary serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not provide data on chronic absenteeism or disciplinary incidents. No information about course offerings, staffing ratios, or class sizes was included in the available data, so a family would need to contact the school directly for those specifics. The district profile turned up no recent changes such as referendums, curriculum shifts, or property-tax adjustments, so the district’s trajectory is not clearly documented from public sources.

The school’s setting in Ladysmith offers a small-town environment with a downtown core, riverfront parks, and community events such as summer concerts and a farmers market. The city has a history of rebuilding after an F3 tornado in the past, and the former Mount Senario College campus now houses a private boarding prep school. For a family considering Ladysmith Elementary, the main takeaway is a school where a high proportion of students come from low-income backgrounds and where academic performance on state tests is lower than in the other two districts in the county. The full picture would benefit from a conversation with school leaders about how the school addresses those academic challenges and what supports are available for students and families.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 25 pts below state median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 20 pts below state median

Grade 532%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 19 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 337%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 25 pts below state median

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 13 pts below state median

Science

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 17 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 27 pts below state median

This schoolLadysmith 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-income28%Higher-income58%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income39%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income55%29 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income17%Higher-income67%50 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income31%Higher-income39%8 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income19%Higher-income50%31 pp gap