The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in Math. The lowest is 71% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Central - Denison Elementary
Central - Denison Elementary is a regular public school serving students from pre-kindergarten through third grade in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. As an early-primary building within the Lake Geneva J1 School District, it is the entry point for families whose children will later move on to upper elementary and then to Badger High School. The school has a substantial enrollment for its grade band, and it draws from a community that blends year-round residents with a strong seasonal tourism economy.
Academically, the school posts results that place it in the top quartile of elementary schools in Walworth County when comparing overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. In the most recent state assessments, which for this school cover only third graders, the share of students reaching the proficient or advanced level was well above typical. This applies to both math and English language arts, where roughly three out of four students met that bar. The school does not serve fourth grade or above, so there is no middle or high school data here to extrapolate from, but within the early grades it presents as a strong academic environment for foundational literacy and numeracy. The school has full participation in testing, which adds confidence to the results.
The student body is predominantly white, with a notable proportion of Hispanic students making up more than a quarter of the enrollment. Smaller shares of Asian, Black, and multiracial students are also present. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a meaningful share of families face economic constraints even as the broader community leans toward higher income levels. The school did not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent wanting to understand how the school serves those populations should ask directly.
Central - Denison sits in Lake Geneva, a resort city on Geneva Lake that has long drawn visitors from Chicago and Milwaukee. The city has a walkable downtown with restaurants, shops, and a public beach. The famous Geneva Lake Shore Path, a more than twenty-mile public walking trail that circles the entire lake, passes through the yards of historic lakefront estates. Yerkes Observatory, a landmark of modern astrophysics, is nearby and open for tours. The housing market reflects the desirability of the area: home values are considerably higher than both the state and national medians, and they have been rising. Rents also show upward pressure. This is not a low-cost community to live in, and families may need to consider whether the local job market in tourism and hospitality offers the income to match those housing costs.
The district has been actively investing in its facilities and operations. In 2022, voters approved a capital referendum for safety upgrades, HVAC replacements, roof repairs, and classroom additions across the Lake Geneva J1 and Badger High School districts. More recently, in 2024, voters passed two operational referendum questions with strong support. The first allows the district to exceed its revenue limit by a substantial amount annually for four years to attract and retain staff, maintain class sizes, and fund technology, curriculum, and security. The second permanently exceeds the revenue limit by a smaller amount each year for ongoing operational needs. These votes signal community commitment to the schools, but also recognize that state funding alone is insufficient.
For a family considering early elementary options, Central - Denison offers a focused primary school with strong early academic results, situated in a community with deep resort and vacation-home character. The school is part of a district that has secured additional funding for both facilities and day-to-day operations, which may support stability in programming and staffing. A parent should be aware that the area’s housing costs are elevated relative to much of the state, and that the school does not currently have published data on special education or English learner services, which may be worth investigating depending on a child’s needs. The academic picture in the early grades is strong, and the school’s top-quartile position relative to other Walworth County districts gives a confident starting point for families who value early foundational skills.
See more original research from School Decision →