Summit Elementary, Oconomowoc WI

Original Research by School Decision on Summit Elementary

Summit Elementary serves early elementary students in Oconomowoc, running from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. This is a regular public school within the Oconomowoc Area School District, and its grade band means it feeds into upper elementary and middle school buildings down the road. For a parent, the central question is what the early years look like here, and the academic picture is strong.

On state assessments, Summit’s students perform at a level that positions the school well above many of its peers. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places Summit in the top quartile relative to districts in Waukesha County. That county is a high-performing one, so sitting at the top of that group is meaningful. In third grade, proficiency rates in both math and English language arts are high, and fourth-grade results stay at a similar level. Science and social studies results for fourth graders are also strong, with social studies showing a particularly high share of students meeting or exceeding the standard. The test participation rates were at or very near one hundred percent, so the results reflect nearly the entire cohort.

The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of students who identify as Asian, Black, multiracial, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. About one in seven students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a low rate of economic need compared to many schools statewide. The school does not report counts for students with disabilities or English learners, so a family looking for information on those programs would need to ask the school directly.

Oconomowoc itself is a mix of historic lakeside neighborhoods and newer developments. The city’s downtown has seen a revival, and Wisconsin’s largest master-planned community is rising on the outskirts, pointing to growth. At the same time, a recent municipal merger has landlocked the city within its current borders, which may shape longer-term expansion. Housing values in the area are well above the national typical home value, and for-sale inventory has been tight relative to demand. The typical home costs nearly double the national benchmark. In terms of community feel, the area is car-dependent beyond the downtown core, and the public transit route that served Oconomowoc is set to be eliminated soon.

For a family choosing Summit Elementary, the main takeaway is that its early-grade academic results are among the strongest in a competitive county. The school itself has a moderate enrollment for an elementary, with class sections through the grades. The data does not include any information on discipline rates, staffing ratios, or the availability of specialized programs such as gifted education or intervention support, so those are open questions a parent would want to explore during a visit. The school’s grade span means it is a starting point; students move on to other buildings in the district for upper elementary and beyond, so the path through the system is worth understanding as a whole.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 383%

School 83% · District 77% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 479%

School 79% · District 76% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 384%

School 84% · District 77% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 482%

School 82% · District 75% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 68% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 488%

School 88% · District 83% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above 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 3Lower-income60%Higher-income87%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income63%Higher-income87%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income70%Higher-income85%15 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income87%43 pp gap