Horace Mann Elementary, Neenah WI

Original Research by School Decision on Horace Mann Elementary

Horace Mann Elementary serves kindergarten through fourth grade in Neenah, a city that blends residential neighborhoods with a strong industrial base along Lake Winnebago and the Fox River. The school is part of the Neenah Joint School District, which underwent a significant facilities overhaul following a recent referendum. That referendum funded a new high school and reconfigured grade structures across the district, with elementary schools now hosting K-4. Horace Mann sits within this new arrangement as one of the district’s K-4 buildings.

The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, two or more races, Asian, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a meaningful level of economic diversity. Enrollment numbers and grade-level counts are spread fairly evenly across kindergarten through fourth grade, suggesting a stable population at the school.

State assessment results for the most recent school year show a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In math, third graders had a proficiency rate above half, while fourth graders landed below half. English language arts results followed a similar pattern, with third graders above half and fourth graders just under half. Science for fourth graders was below half. Social studies for fourth graders was above half. Compared to other schools in Winnebago County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint of the county’s districts. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly to understand how instruction and support vary between grade levels.

The school environment data does not include information on discipline, course access, staffing, or attendance. Because Horace Mann serves only early elementary grades, some measures such as a graduation rate do not apply. The school does not operate as a charter or, based on available data, a magnet school. Title I status was not reported.

Neenah itself offers a mix of small-town character and access to the larger Fox Cities metro area, which is described as the fastest growing urban center in Wisconsin. Manufacturing plays a major role in the local economy, with companies like Kimberly-Clark, Plexus Corporation, and Neenah Foundry headquartered or operating in the city. The downtown area along the Fox River provides a compact civic core with Shattuck Park hosting concerts and a seasonal farm market. Regional trail networks, a lakefront lighthouse, and a glass art museum add recreational and cultural options.

Housing values in the area are roughly in line with state benchmarks, and rents are modest relative to national levels. The district notes that the recent referendum introduced long-term debt to a district that previously had none, though the property tax mill rate remains one of the lowest in the Fox Valley region. This context matters for families weighing the cost of living and the investment in school facilities.

For a family considering Horace Mann Elementary, the key takeaway is a K-4 school in a district that has invested heavily in its facilities and grade configuration. The school serves a diverse-by-income student body in a city with a stable industrial economy and access to metro-area amenities. Academic performance on state tests is uneven across grades and subjects and lags behind the midpoint of county districts. A parent would benefit from speaking with the school about how it addresses these results and what academic supports are in place for students across the early elementary years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 353%

School 53% · District 67% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 71% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 63% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 64% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 62% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 71% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median · even with county median

This schoolNeenah Joint 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-income48%Higher-income59%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income61%21 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income31%Higher-income55%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income48%Higher-income57%9 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income36%Higher-income55%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income75%25 pp gap