The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in Math. The lowest is 38% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Humke Elementary
Humke Elementary serves the earliest grades in the Nekoosa School District, taking children from pre-kindergarten through third grade. Because the school stops at third grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The building sits on South Section Street in Nekoosa, a small city in Wood County, Wisconsin, whose working-class character has long been shaped by paper manufacturing. The Domtar paper mill is the dominant employer, and manufacturing remains the largest sector in the local economy. The city has experienced a slow population decline in recent years.
Humke Elementary enrolls several hundred students across pre-K, kindergarten, and first through third grades. Each grade level holds a roughly similar number of students. The student body is predominantly white, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the community’s economic profile. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not provided.
State testing is administered to third graders through the Wisconsin Forward assessment, and the results show a picture that families will want to weigh carefully. In math, just under half of tested third graders scored at or above the proficient level. In English language arts, the proficiency rate was somewhat lower, with a little more than a third of students reaching that benchmark. Participation rates on the tests were high. When compared across all districts in Wood County on an overall proficiency index that averages tested subjects and grades, Humke Elementary sits in the bottom quartile. This is the school’s first statewide testing year for which this comparison was available, and the results are a soft spot. A parent may want to ask the school about its approach to early literacy and math instruction and how it supports students who arrive below grade-level expectations.
The school serves children at the very beginning of their academic journey, and its size is typical for an early-elementary building within a small district. There are no broader program offerings listed in the data, which is common for a primary school focused on building foundational skills. No information was available on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or disciplinary incidents.
Because Humke Elementary covers only pre-K through third grade, any family considering the school will also need to look ahead at the next building, Alexander Middle School, as well as Nekoosa High School and the district’s charter options, to understand the full academic pathway. The district also includes a school focused on Ho-Chunk heritage and a STEM charter school.
For a family living in or moving to Nekoosa, this is a school that reflects the economic realities of a small manufacturing town. The housing market in the area is relatively affordable, with home values below state and national benchmarks. The school’s test results, particularly in English language arts, are below the midpoint of the county’s districts, and any parent considering the school would benefit from a direct conversation with the principal about how the school identifies and addresses early learning gaps. The early-grade focus means the school is, by design, the entry point into the district, and the neighborhood feel of a single small building serving the community’s youngest students is likely the primary draw.
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