The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lemonweir Academy
Lemonweir Academy is a charter school in Mauston, Wisconsin, serving grades six through twelve as part of the Mauston School District. It occupies a building on Grayside Avenue in this small city, which functions as the Juneau County seat and sits along the Lemonweir River surrounded by rural agricultural land and nearby lakes. The town has a traditional small‑city feel with a compact downtown, a riverwalk in Riverside Park, and the Hatch Public Library and city hall as civic anchors. Population has been essentially flat in recent decades, and the area has seen institutional investment such as a newer high school building.
The school itself is very small, with a student body that is predominantly white and includes a modest share of Hispanic students and students who identify as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced‑price lunch, indicating that a significant portion of families have lower household incomes. Because enrollment numbers are small across all grades, the school’s academic performance picture is limited. State testing results are only reportable at the eighth‑grade level; results for sixth and seventh grades were suppressed to protect student privacy, as the number of test‑takers was too small. In eighth grade, proficiency rates across math, English language arts, science, and social studies were low, and only a very small number of students scored at the proficient level. The cohort of eighth‑grade test‑takers was tiny, so these results represent just that group and may not be stable or broadly indicative. No data was available for high school grade levels; the school enrolled no twelfth graders, so there is no graduation rate to report.
Compared with other districts in Juneau County, Lemonweir Academy’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. This is a weak relative position, and a parent looking for a school with strong test outcomes would need to look further at whether the small, targeted nature of the charter aligns with their goals. The school’s charter status means it operates with a specific mission or instructional approach, but no details about its program model were available in the provided information.
The broader district context is worth noting because Lemonweir Academy sits within the Mauston School District. A recent operational referendum passed, which according to publicly reported district communications has allowed the district to restore several key positions, reduce class sizes, and rebuild programs important to student growth and engagement. How directly this affects a charter school within the district would be a question for families to ask the school directly.
Housing in the Mauston area reflects the small‑city rural setting, with home values modestly below national and state benchmarks. The local economy is anchored by the county government, the school district, a Western Technical College campus, and general retail and services.
For a family, Lemonweir Academy is a very small charter school in a rural small town that serves a high‑needs student population. The limited available test data shows low proficiency, and the school’s performance ranks well below other Juneau County districts. That said, the school’s small size may offer an environment where personalized attention is possible, and the charter structure may provide an alternative approach for students who have not found a good fit in larger mainstream settings. A parent serious about understanding the school’s academic trajectory should ask the school directly about its curriculum, support services, and what happens in grades where no state test results are reported.
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