The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in Social studies. The lowest is 51% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Parkview Elementary
Parkview Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the heart of Orfordville, a small, mainly residential village in Rock County, Wisconsin. The school sits on Church Street, and all of the Parkview School District’s buildings are now concentrated in the village following the construction of a new high school and the remodeling of the former high school into this elementary school. Orfordville itself is the kind of place where civic life centers on churches, youth sports, the Lions Club, and the American Legion. The village has a compact footprint and a quiet small-town character, with parks such as Purdy Park and Haugen Park providing gathering spots. State highways run through the village, and residents have access to Beloit, Janesville, Madison, and Monroe for employment and services.
The student body at Parkview Elementary is predominantly white, with a small number of students who are Hispanic, Black, or identify as two or more races. More than a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic diversity present in the community. The school’s enrollment is moderate for its grade band, and the grade-level groups are fairly balanced through the elementary years.
Academically, Parkview Elementary delivers a mixed picture with several bright spots. On the Wisconsin Forward assessments, proficiency rates vary by grade and subject. In math, results span a wide range: third grade shows a solid majority proficient, fourth grade a modest share, and fifth grade a very strong majority. English language arts follows a similar pattern, with fifth grade performing notably better than the earlier grades. Science and social studies are tested only in fourth grade; proficiency in social studies is particularly high, while science sits at roughly half proficient. Overall, when averaging across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s proficiency index places it above the midpoint among districts in Rock County, signaling that it holds its own relative to nearby public school systems. Participation in state testing was complete, so the results reflect the full cohort. That said, some grade-level results in ELA and math are closer to half proficient or just below, and a parent may want to discuss with the school how the curriculum supports students in the earlier grades to build consistent skill growth across the elementary years.
Housing in the Orfordville area is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks. The typical home value is slightly below the Wisconsin average, and the local housing stock consists largely of single-family homes. Rents are moderate, and the overall cost of living is manageable for many families. The village has seen modest population growth over recent decades, and the most significant local development in recent memory was the consolidation of all district schools in Orfordville, which included the building of a new high school and the repurposing of the old one into Parkview Elementary.
The Parkview School District offers a virtual schooling option called the Parkview Academy of Virtual Education, giving families an in-district alternative to traditional in-person instruction. No other major programmatic expansions or policy changes were found in available public reporting.
Parkview Elementary fits families who want a small-town, community-anchored elementary school where most students come from similar backgrounds and where academic performance is generally solid, with particular strength in fifth-grade math and fourth-grade social studies. The school serves as the entry point for the district’s K-12 pathway, and the recent building consolidation means that students move through the system within the same village. Parents who value close ties between school and local civic life, and who prefer a school where testing participation is high and results are above the county median, will find Parkview Elementary a reasonable option. Those concerned about early-grade ELA proficiency may want to explore how the school addresses literacy growth from kindergarten through third grade.
See more original research from School Decision →