The top reported proficiency rate is 41% in Math. The lowest is 34% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Markesan Primary
Markesan Primary serves prekindergarten through second grade within the Markesan School District, a regular public school in a small, rural Green Lake County community. Because the school’s grade span ends at second grade, the state testing data available is limited to a single year of third-grade results from the 2018-19 Forward assessment, and that data was reported for the school itself, which means a relatively small group of students took those tests. On math, roughly two in five third graders scored proficient or above, and on English language arts, about one in three did. Compared with other districts in Green Lake County, the school’s overall proficiency index placed in the bottom quartile. This is a single snapshot from several years ago, and given the school’s early-elementary focus, a parent would want to look into current classroom-level learning benchmarks with the school directly. There is no graduation rate to report since the building does not serve high school grades.
The student body is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic population and small shares of Black and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school within a moderate-to-high poverty context for a rural Wisconsin community. Enrollment is small across four grades, with each grade level from kindergarten through second grade holding a similar number of students; prekindergarten has a comparable count as well, indicating a stable early-childhood program. Data on special education and English learner populations was not available in the records reviewed.
Markesan is a compact, predominantly rural village of under 1,000 residents with a traditional downtown along Bridge Street anchoring city hall, the public library, and the Grand River Valley Museum. Schools are on a separate campus, with Markesan Primary located on South Margaret Street, while the district’s elementary, middle, and high schools share a campus on East Vista Boulevard. The community sits next to Little Green Lake and near Lake Puckaway, with an agricultural hinterland that includes Amish settlements in nearby Dalton and Kingston. The population has been essentially flat to slightly declining in recent decades, consistent with its rural character. Median home values have risen over time but remain well below the Wisconsin median, and the housing market is relatively affordable compared with state averages. The primary employers are the school district itself, the municipal government, and agricultural operations.
The Markesan School District has actively pursued additional local funding. In late 2024 and again in early 2025, voters approved two non-recurring revenue limit override referendums, each authorizing the district to exceed the state revenue cap by a set amount per year for four school years. The stated purposes include funding educational programming, maintaining class sizes, attracting and retaining staff, and maintaining facilities. Notably, the district’s school tax rate decreased for the 2025-2026 year compared with the prior year, an unusual combination that a family would want to understand in terms of the district’s long-term budget picture. These measures have a direct and lasting impact on the resources available at Markesan Primary.
For a parent considering Markesan Primary, the picture is of a small, rural early-elementary school serving a stable community with tight civic anchors and an agricultural identity. The academic achievement data is thin but below the county average on the one available measure. The district has made repeated efforts to secure additional operational funding, and housing remains relatively affordable. This is a school that fits a family seeking a small, close-knit rural setting with early childhood programming embedded in a district that is actively working to maintain its resources. A parent wanting a fuller academic picture would need to discuss current benchmark assessments and classroom progress with the school directly.
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