Washburn Elementary, Washburn WI

Original Research by School Decision on Washburn Elementary

Washburn Elementary serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the city of Washburn, the county seat of Bayfield County, set on a hillside overlooking Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay. The school is a regular public school and part of the Washburn School District. It is not a charter school, and its magnet and Title I status were not available in the data we reviewed.

The school’s enrollment is moderate for an elementary school serving that grade range, and its demographic composition is predominantly white, with a notable share of American Indian or Alaska Native students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which serves as a rough indicator of the level of economic need in the student body. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the records we used; a parent may wish to ask the school directly about those supports and populations.

On the Wisconsin Forward state assessments, Washburn Elementary’s results show a varied picture across grades and subjects. In math, proficiency rates reached a high point in fourth grade before declining somewhat in fifth and sixth grades. In English language arts, the highest rate was in sixth grade, while fourth grade was the lowest point among the tested grades. Science and social studies are assessed only in fourth grade, and the school reported a strong proficiency rate in both subjects that year. Participation rates on all assessments were very high, which strengthens the reliability of the reported results. A composite measure of the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades, calculated in the data we examined, places Washburn Elementary just below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Bayfield County. Among the four districts in the county, the spread is wide, and the school sits in the lower half of that range.

Washburn itself is a small city with a historic downtown along Bayfield Street. The local economy, once anchored by a large DuPont explosives plant that closed decades ago, now centers on tourism and county government functions. The city has seen a population decline from its peak during the DuPont era, and the residential housing market reflects modest values compared with state and national benchmarks, making the area relatively more affordable for homebuyers. The school is located at 411 West 8th Street; specific information about whether the building sits within the downtown core or on a separated campus was not found in the search results.

Because the school serves only through sixth grade, no high school graduation rate is reported, and there is no chronic absenteeism or discipline data in the records we used. Program offerings, such as arts, music, or specialized academic pathways, were also absent from the available data. The district brief turned up little in the way of recently reported changes or strategic initiatives, so that section is left open rather than guessed at.

For a family considering this school, the central facts are a moderate-sized elementary serving a small Lake Superior community, with test results that are variable by grade but sit near the middle of a small-county comparison set, and a town that has experienced long-term population stability rather than growth. The school’s economic context includes a notable share of students from lower-income households. A parent would want to follow up directly with the school for details on special education services, English learner support, and any enrichment programs that are not captured in this record.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 365%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 556%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 658%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 4 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 362%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 53%

even with state median

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 9 pts above state median

Science

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 24 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 475%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 10 pts above state median

This schoolWashburn 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-income46%Higher-income71%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income27%Higher-income68%41 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income64%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income53%Higher-income70%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income46%Higher-income76%30 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income53%Higher-income72%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income58%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income70%28 pp gap