Wabeno Elementary, Wabeno WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Wabeno Elementary

Wabeno Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the village of Wabeno, a historic logging community tucked inside the Nicolet National Forest in northeastern Wisconsin. The school is the elementary arm of the Wabeno Area School District, which also operates a single high school, and the two buildings together have long functioned as a civic anchor in this very small, rural place. Enrollment is modest, and the student body reflects the surrounding area’s demographics: about half of the students are White, a third are American Indian or Alaska Native, and a smaller share are of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that many families in the attendance zone are working with limited household income.

State assessment results are available for grades three through five in math and English language arts, and for grade four in science and social studies. The school’s overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades places it in the top quartile among the three districts in Forest County. That said, performance varies by grade and subject. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above ranges from a moderate level in fourth grade to a notably stronger showing in fifth grade, where a clear majority met the bar. English language arts results follow a similar pattern, with fifth graders again posting the strongest outcomes and third and fourth graders closer to the midpoint. Science proficiency in grade four is lower, with fewer than a third of students reaching the proficient mark, a soft spot a parent may want to look into further with the school. Social studies in the same grade came in higher, with a solid majority proficient. Because Wabeno Elementary only serves early grades, there is no graduation rate to report and no data on chronic absenteeism or advanced coursework, which are metrics that apply to older grade bands.

The community itself is a small, stable place defined by its forested surroundings and a compact downtown core along Wisconsin Highway 32. The downtown green with its band shell and the historic log cabin that houses the public library are key gathering points. The major employers nearby include a casino run by the Forest County Potawatomi and the school district itself. Housing values in the area are below the state median, making the community relatively affordable, though the rural setting means that households rely on cars for most trips. The village shows little rapid growth; development has focused on preserving the area’s heritage and small-town character rather than attracting new subdivisions.

For a family considering the school, Wabeno Elementary offers a small, tight-knit environment with a demographic mix that includes a sizable Native American population. The academic picture is mixed: some grades and subjects show solid achievement, while others, particularly fourth-grade science, lag behind. The school’s performance relative to other districts in the county is favorable overall, but that comparison set is very small. Families moving into the area should expect a rural school with limited walkability, a modest property price point, and a district that has not undergone any major recent curricular or financial changes of the sort that would be publicly reported. The school may suit those who value a close community, a connection to the national forest, and a setting where the elementary school serves as a natural center of daily life.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 54%

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 42%

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 571%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 20 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 3 pts below state median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 45%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 558%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Science

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 22 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 65%

even with state median

This schoolWabeno 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-income44%Higher-income60%16 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income44%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income64%Higher-income50%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income46%28 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income70%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income44%4 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income71%Higher-income70%1 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income18%8 pp gap