The top reported proficiency rate is 82% in Social studies. The lowest is 65% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on New Glarus Elementary
New Glarus Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the New Glarus School District, a regular public school that anchors early education for the village and surrounding town. The school sits in a small community with a distinctive character—New Glarus was founded by Swiss immigrants and retains that heritage in its architecture, festivals, and downtown businesses. The village’s compact core is walkable, with shops, restaurants, a Swiss bakery, and museums concentrated along the main streets, and tourism is the largest contributor to the local economy. The school district itself is a major employer in the area.
Academically, New Glarus Elementary performs at a level that places it among the stronger schools in Green County. On the Wisconsin Forward Exam, which the state uses for grades three through five, the school’s combined proficiency rate across all tested subjects and grades sits in the top quartile relative to other districts in the county. This is a solid position: the school’s overall proficiency index is above the county median and near the top of the range. Looking at individual subjects, the results are consistently positive. In math, third graders showed a strong proficiency rate, fourth graders a somewhat lower but still solid rate, and fifth graders a similarly strong rate. In English language arts, proficiency rates across all three grades were in the mid-to-upper range, with little variation between grade levels. Science, tested only in fourth grade, also showed a solid proficiency rate. The standout subject was social studies, also tested in fourth grade, where the proficiency rate was notably high. The school had full participation in all assessments, so the results reflect nearly every eligible student.
The student body is relatively homogeneous in its composition. The majority of students are white, with smaller shares of Hispanic students, students of two or more races, and very small numbers of Asian, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Roughly a fifth of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that suggests a moderate but not high level of economic need within the school. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available records, so a parent who wants to understand those support structures may wish to inquire directly with the school.
The school’s grade band means that it does not produce a graduation rate, and the available data does not include chronic absenteeism figures or discipline information. Those are gaps a family can fill by asking the school or district. Special population counts were also missing from the data we reviewed.
Housing in New Glarus is priced notably above both the Wisconsin state average and the national median, reflecting the area’s desirability as a tourist destination and its proximity to the Madison metropolitan area—the village is about a half-hour from downtown Madison. Home values have been rising. The combination of a strong local economy anchored by tourism, a major snack-food manufacturer, the brewery, and the school district itself, along with the village’s steady growth and architectural code requiring Swiss-style construction, points to a community that has maintained its identity while attracting visitors and residents alike.
For a family considering this school, the academic picture is reassuring: New Glarus Elementary’s test results are consistently above typical performance in the county, with particular strength in social studies and solid results across math and reading. The school setting is a small, heritage-rich village where tourism and local industry drive the economy, and where housing costs are higher than many other parts of Wisconsin. The district’s most recent publicly reported changes did not surface any major shifts or initiatives, so the school appears to be operating on a stable footing. A parent looking for a straightforward, well-performing elementary school in a distinctive small-town environment will find a good fit here.
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