The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on West Side Elementary
West Side Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through second grade in Reedsburg, a small city about an hour northwest of Madison. Because the school only covers the earliest primary grades, many of the metrics used to evaluate older schools do not apply here. There is no graduation rate, no data on chronic absenteeism, no course access figures, and no information on special education or English learner populations. These gaps reflect the school’s grade span rather than any shortcoming.
The school is one of two primary centers in the Reedsburg School District, which recently consolidated its elementary footprint. In 2022, the district closed Loganville Elementary and La Valle Elementary, shifting those students into remaining buildings. The district also passed a capital referendum for high school upgrades and a new greenhouse. West Side itself remains an open, regular public school under the district.
State assessment results exist for a single year, the 2018-19 school year, for third graders only. Since the school serves only through second grade, those results come from students who likely moved on to a different building for third grade. In that year, a little under half of third graders scored proficient in English language arts, and a slightly smaller share did so in math. Participation rates were very high. Relative to other school districts in Sauk County, West Side Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades fell in the bottom quartile. This is a single point of data from before the pandemic, and a parent may want to ask the school for more current information.
Enrollment stands at a moderate size for an early-grades building, with students spread across pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, and second grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a significant Hispanic presence and a small number of students who identify as two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a higher level of economic need than is typical nationally.
The school is located on Alexander Avenue in a residential area of Reedsburg. The city itself has a mix of neighborhoods, a historic Main Street, and industrial employers. Housing values are above the national median, while rents are somewhat more affordable relative to income. The broader Sauk County area is rural and agricultural, with the Baraboo River running through town.
Because the school serves only the earliest grades, a parent considering West Side should be aware that their child will move to a different building after second grade. The district operates an intermediate school for grades three through five, then a middle school, and finally a high school. The recent elementary consolidations mean that some families in outlying areas now travel farther to school. For a family looking at West Side specifically, the main questions are about the early learning environment, class size, and kindergarten readiness supports, none of which are captured in the available data. The school does offer pre-kindergarten, which can be a point of access for families seeking an early start.
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