Silver Lake Intermediate, Oconomowoc WI

Original Research by School Decision on Silver Lake Intermediate

Silver Lake Intermediate is a regular public school in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, serving students in fifth through eighth grade as part of the Oconomowoc Area School District. It sits on its own campus, separate from the historic downtown that defines much of the city’s identity. The school’s enrollment is sizable for a mid-level middle school, and its student body draws from a community that is both growing and grounded in its Lake Country setting.

Academically, Silver Lake Intermediate posts results that are solid by most measures, though they land slightly below the midpoint of all tested districts in Waukesha County when an overall proficiency index is calculated across subjects and grades. In both math and English language arts, the share of students reaching proficient or above on the Wisconsin Forward exam is above the majority of county peers, but the composite index suggests the school is not among the top performers in this competitive county of two dozen districts. Looking at individual grade levels, math proficiency is highest in seventh grade and lowest in eighth, while English language arts follows a similar pattern, with eighth grade showing the softest results. Science and social studies are tested only in eighth grade; the science proficiency rate is a little lower than social studies, which is stronger. A parent considering the school will want to understand that the eighth-grade dip in math and reading is real but not dramatic, and the school’s overall record across grades five through seven is consistently positive. No graduation rate or chronic absenteeism data apply to this intermediate school, as it does not serve the senior high years. The district did not provide information on special education or English learner enrollment, so those aspects of student support are not reflected in the available record.

The student body is predominantly white, with a notable Hispanic minority and smaller shares of Black, Asian, multiracial, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that signals a largely middle to upper-middle income community with some economic diversity. The location in Oconomowoc places families in a city that has seen a revival of its historic downtown, a growing healthcare employment base, and a major master-planned development on its outskirts. Housing values in the area are well above both state and national medians, and the rental market is similarly elevated, reflecting the desirability of the Lake Country region. A pending town merger in 2025 will likely landlock the city’s borders, which could limit outward expansion but may also concentrate development within existing neighborhoods. Public transit is set to be eliminated in September 2025, so families relying on bus service should plan accordingly.

Silver Lake Intermediate offers a standard middle school academic pathway without the advanced or specialized program data that some families look for. The absence of published information about course access, staffing ratios, or extracurricular offerings means those details remain a question to ask the school directly. What is clear from the available evidence is that this is a solid academic performer in a growing, affluent, lake-oriented community, with proficiency that holds up well in the early middle grades and slips a little in the transition year to high school. It fits a family that values consistent instruction, a suburban setting with access to lakes and a revived downtown, and a school environment where the large majority of students are meeting state benchmarks. Families seeking a school with explicit advanced pathways or high-dosage support for specific learning needs should look further into what Silver Lake Intermediate offers outside the testing data.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 581%

School 81% · District 78% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 681%

School 81% · District 79% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 784%

School 84% · District 81% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 874%

School 74% · District 70% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 71% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 677%

School 77% · District 74% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 778%

School 78% · District 70% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 62% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 58% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 74% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolOconomowoc Area 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 5Lower-income54%Higher-income78%24 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income52%Higher-income83%31 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income60%Higher-income83%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income72%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income57%Higher-income88%31 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income69%Higher-income84%15 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income63%Higher-income90%27 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income52%Higher-income78%26 pp gap