The top reported proficiency rate is 68% in Math. The lowest is 52% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Parkside Elementary
Parkside Elementary is a regular public school in Monroe, Wisconsin, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of several elementary schools in the Monroe School District, which is the largest district in Green County. The school sits in a small city that brands itself as the Cheese Capital of the USA, with a historic downtown square, a strong Swiss heritage, and a mix of residential neighborhoods and light industry. Monroe is roughly an hour from Madison and within reach of Milwaukee and Chicago. The city’s population has been slowly declining, and no major new housing developments were identified in publicly available sources. The district has no recent parent-relevant changes such as referendums or facility projects that cleared the lasting-impact bar, based on the search results.
Academically, Parkside Elementary participates in Wisconsin’s Forward assessments. In math, the school’s proficiency rates were solid across grades three and four, with a slightly softer result in grade five. In English language arts, performance was more mixed: roughly half of third graders met proficiency, a slightly higher share of fourth graders did, and grade five fell below that mark. Science and social studies are tested only in grade four, and the data show moderate proficiency in science and a somewhat stronger showing in social studies. All tested grades had participation rates near full, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students. Because this is an elementary school serving only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data were not available in the source material. A parent may want to ask the school directly about attendance patterns or student support structures.
The student body is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic enrollment and small representations of other racial and ethnic groups. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a significant share of families with lower household incomes. No data were provided on the share of students with individualized education programs or English learner status, so those dimensions of the student population are not accounted for here. The school’s grade span and regular public school designation mean it does not have the alternative or magnet program structures that sometimes accompany missing data fields.
When compared with other districts in Green County, Parkside Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint of the county’s districts. That placement suggests academic performance is broadly on the stronger side within the local context, though parents may want to examine how the school’s scores align with their own expectations for each subject and grade level.
The community around the school offers a range of amenities. Monroe has numerous parks, a swimming pool, a skate park, an indoor ice rink, and trail connections. The downtown square is walkable and hosts regular events, including the biennial Cheese Days festival. The Monroe Clinic is a major employer, along with the school district itself and local manufacturing and dairy operations. Blackhawk Technical College has a campus in the city. For families, the housing market in the area reflects typical Midwestern small-city conditions, with home values and rents that are moderate compared to national benchmarks. The city’s vision statement emphasizes maintaining a strong downtown and a vibrant business community, though the demographic trend has been one of slow decline rather than growth.
Parkside Elementary presents a straightforward academic picture: solid math performance, more variable reading results, and a student population that is economically diverse. Its place above the midpoint among Green County districts indicates it is not the highest-performing school in the county, but it is also not an outlier on the low end. For a family considering this school, the next step would be to learn more about classroom support for readers, the availability of enrichment or intervention programs, and the specific strategies the school uses to address the gaps visible in its state assessment data. The school’s website and a direct conversation with the principal would be the natural places to start.
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