Marion Elementary, Marion WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Marion Elementary

Marion Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in Marion, a small rural city straddling Waupaca and Shawano Counties. The school is a regular public school within the Marion School District and sits on Main Street in the city’s compact downtown, with the district’s 7-12 school a short distance away.

The student body is predominantly white, reflecting the surrounding community. Just over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that positions the school near the midpoint when placed relative to other districts in Waupaca County. Enrollment is small for an elementary building serving this grade span, and class groups across the grades are similarly modest in size, which can mean more individual attention from staff.

On state assessments administered through Wisconsin’s Forward exam, proficiency rates shift notably by grade level, producing a mixed academic picture. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above reached roughly two-thirds in third and fifth grades, but dropped to about half in fourth grade and to a weaker two-fifths in sixth grade. English language arts results show a similar pattern: third and fourth graders posted proficiency rates near half, while fifth and sixth graders each sat at about a third. Fourth graders tested in science and social studies, where roughly half scored proficient. The overall proficiency index, combining all tested subjects and grades, places the school in the bottom quartile among Waupaca County districts. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the curriculum and instructional approach address the dip in upper elementary performance, especially in sixth grade.

The school environment data available is limited. No information was provided on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing ratios, or course access. The school is not a charter or magnet and does not report Title I status in the data. Because the school serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report.

The surrounding community of Marion has a slowly declining population and a median home value well below the Wisconsin state median. The city maintains six parks and a public golf course, and it is actively marketing industrial land along the highway. The district itself recently increased its property tax rate. Marion qualifies as a low-spending district under state law, giving it the ability to exceed revenue caps by a set amount per pupil without a referendum, which may affect future budgets and local tax obligations.

For a family considering this school, the small scale and rural setting may appeal. The academic results show solid performance in the early elementary grades and more challenge in the upper elementary years, especially in reading. The combination of small enrollment, a rural community with a low cost of housing, and the district’s financial flexibility around spending limits gives the school a distinct, locally grounded character.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 54%

even with state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 64% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

Grade 640%

School 40% · District 40%

▼ 14 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 49%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 2 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 534%

School 34% · District 33% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 634%

School 34% · District 34%

▼ 19 pts below state median

Science

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 2 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 58%

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolMarion 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-income47%Higher-income50%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income71%38 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income24%Higher-income44%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income37%6 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income59%Higher-income70%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income71%38 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income53%Higher-income78%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income47%16 pp gap