The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in Social studies. The lowest is 42% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Grayside Elementary
Grayside Elementary serves grades three through five in the Mauston School District, a small-city district in Juneau County, Wisconsin. The school sits on Grayside Avenue in Mauston, a community that functions as the county seat and local retail center, with a compact downtown along the Lemonweir River and Riverside Park. The district passed an operational referendum in February that has allowed it to restore positions, reduce class sizes, and rebuild programs, a publicly reported change that families will want to note when considering how resources are allocated.
The student body draws from Mauston itself, a city whose population has been essentially flat, declining slightly over the past decade. The school enrolls a number of students that makes it a mid-sized elementary for its grade band. Around three-fifths of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places economic need as a relevant factor in the school's picture. In terms of racial and ethnic composition, the student population is predominantly white, with Hispanic students making up the next largest group, followed by small numbers of students who identify as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Asian; Pacific Islander representation was not reported.
On state assessments using the Forward exam, the school's results show a pattern that warrants attention. In math, proficiency rates decline across grades three through five, from roughly half of third graders to about a third of fifth graders; the fifth-grade figure is the lowest math result in the school. In English language arts, a similar pattern appears, with proficiency rates falling from just under half of third graders to about a third of fifth graders. Science and social studies are assessed only in fourth grade, and on those subjects the school shows a stronger picture, with roughly three-fifths of fourth graders proficient in science and closer to seven in ten proficient in social studies. The school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades, when placed alongside other districts within Juneau County, sits above the midpoint among the five districts in that comparison set. A family reading these results should understand that while the elementary performs adequately relative to its immediate county peers, the downward trend in math and reading as students move through the upper elementary grades is a soft spot. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the transition from earlier grades is supported.
State testing data for younger grades is not present because the school begins at grade three. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, staffing, discipline, and course access was not available, so those dimensions of school environment cannot be described from the provided information. Special education and English learner counts were also not reported.
Housing in the area shows a home-value index that is below the state benchmark but above the national figure, with recent year-over-year appreciation that is modestly above the state rate. The broader economic context includes a 30-year mortgage rate that has moved in a narrow range over the recent months and a national unemployment rate that has been steady. For a family considering a move, the housing market in Mauston reflects a typical small-city market in rural Wisconsin, with affordability relative to state and national averages being a relevant point of comparison.
Grayside Elementary sits within a district that has publicly committed to rebuilding after a successful referendum, and its own academic profile shows a mixed picture of county-competitive overall performance alongside declining upper-grade proficiency. The school serves a community with stable demographics, a modest economic backdrop, and a small-town civic infrastructure anchored by the library, park, and county courthouse.
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