The top reported proficiency rate is 47% in Social studies. The lowest is 22% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Siren Elementary
Siren Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, part of the Siren School District. The school sits in the village of Siren, the county seat of Burnett County, a small community in northwestern Wisconsin. Siren has a northwoods character shaped by its Swedish immigrant heritage and a significant rebuilding effort after an F3 tornado years ago. The village has shown population growth in recent years, and the relocation of the county seat drove commercial expansion north of the original village center.
The school enrolls a student body of a size typical for a small-town elementary serving these grade levels. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the student population is predominantly white, with a notable proportion of American Indian or Alaska Native students and a modest share of students identifying as two or more races. The remaining groups are present in very small numbers. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.
On the Wisconsin Forward assessments, the school’s results vary by grade and subject. In third grade, about a quarter of students scored proficient or above in both math and English language arts. Fourth grade showed lower proficiency rates in both subjects than the other two tested grades. Fifth grade posted the highest math proficiency, with roughly half of students meeting the benchmark, while English language arts proficiency remained lower. In fourth-grade science, about a third of students were proficient, and social studies results were somewhat stronger, with nearly half proficient.
Compared to other school districts in Burnett County, Siren Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile. This positions the school on the lower end of the range among its county peers for academic performance at the elementary level. Families considering the school may want to ask the school or district about the specific instructional approaches and support systems in place, especially in the earlier grades where proficiency rates are lower.
The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate is reported. Likewise, a high school does not need this measure. Because this is a regular elementary school, it provides standard academic programming within the broader district structure. The district brief found very little in the way of recent curriculum changes, budget shifts, or referendum activity of lasting parent-relevant impact, so those are absent from this account.
Housing in the area, based on the ZIP code, has a value modestly below the state benchmark for Wisconsin and below the national benchmark as well. The local economy is anchored by Burnett County government and health care, with tourism and recreation around the area’s lakes and the Gandy Dancer State Trail also playing a role. Siren is a compact village with a small-town commercial strip along the highway, Crooked Lake Park at its heart, and a recreational trail running through the area. The school’s setting fits a family looking for a rural, lake-country community with a modest cost of living and a small elementary school environment.
See more original research from School Decision →