The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Northern Lights Elementary
Northern Lights Elementary is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the city of Superior. It is one of five elementary schools in the Superior School District, and its enrollment is on the smaller side for a school covering this grade span. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of students identifying as two or more races, and smaller populations of American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic, Black, and Asian students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which indicates a moderate-to-high level of economic need in the school’s attendance area.
Academically, the school shows an uneven picture as measured by Wisconsin’s Forward assessments across different grade levels. In third grade, a solid majority of students met proficiency in both English language arts and math, with reading scores particularly strong. Fifth graders also performed at a level where half or more were proficient in both subjects. Fourth grade, however, was a noticeable step down: roughly a quarter of students were proficient in math, and less than half in reading. Science and social studies results, tested only in fourth grade, hovered around the same lower range. This pattern may reflect a typical dip or a cohort effect; a parent considering this school would want to discuss with the school how it supports students moving from primary to intermediate grades.
When placed against other districts in Douglas County, Northern Lights Elementary’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quartile. The county itself contains only three districts, so this is a narrow comparison point. There is no high school or graduation rate to consider, since the school ends at fifth grade. No data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available in the material reviewed, and the school’s staffing and course access details were also absent.
The school sits in Superior, a mid-sized industrial port city at the western tip of Lake Superior. The city’s economy is anchored by shipping, rail yards, an oil refinery, a shipyard, and manufacturers such as Amsoil and Charter NEX Films. The University of Wisconsin-Superior and Northwood Technical College are also in town. Superior’s downtown corridor along Tower Avenue has a historic commercial core, but the city overall is low-density and car-dependent, with residential neighborhoods spreading outward from the industrial waterfront. Civic amenities include Barker’s Island with its beach and marina, a large municipal forest, and museums such as Fairlawn Mansion and the SS Meteor whaleback ship.
The Superior School District operates one high school and one middle school, so most Northern Lights graduates will feed into the same secondary pathway. The district brief did not surface any recent major changes such as referenda, curriculum shifts, or boundary adjustments that would alter a family’s decision at the elementary level; the district appears to have been operating without notable near-term disruption.
Housing in the area around the school is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks, with typical home values below the Wisconsin average and rents that place the area within reach of many working families. The local mortgage and rental markets reflect the broader economic context of an industrial city that has seen steady manufacturing growth in recent years.
For a family considering Northern Lights Elementary, the school offers a typical elementary experience in a community with a strong industrial and port identity. The academic results are mixed, with third grade a clear high point and fourth grade a soft spot that warrants a conversation with the school about its curriculum and intervention strategies. The student body is economically diverse, and the school is large enough to provide peer groups but small enough that individual attention is plausible. No special programs or magnet themes were listed in the available data, so the academic core is the primary draw.
See more original research from School Decision →