Washington Elementary, Waterford WI

Original Research by School Decision on Washington Elementary

Washington Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in the village of Waterford, a community in western Racine County that is growing at a steady pace. It is a regular public school and the sole building in the Washington-Caldwell School District, a very small single-school district. The school sits along Big Bend Road, outside the historic downtown area that centers on the Fox River, but is part of the same village fabric.

The student body is small. Enrollment is distributed across grade levels so that each class has roughly a couple dozen students. The student population is predominantly white, with only modest representation of other racial and ethnic groups. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

State assessment results for the most recent year show a mixed academic picture that a parent will want to weigh carefully. In math, proficiency rates across grades three through eight are generally solid, with most grade levels reaching a clear majority of students scoring proficient or above. The strongest math performance came in fifth grade, while eighth grade math dipped noticeably. In English language arts, the pattern is more uneven. Performance was low in third and fourth grades, where roughly half of students met the bar. By fifth and sixth grades, the share rose to a strong majority, and seventh grade ELA was the school's highest result across any subject. Eighth grade ELA, however, posted a weak result, with less than half of students proficient. Science results followed a similar drop: fourth grade science saw half of students proficient, while eighth grade science was low. Social studies held closer to the majority mark in both tested grades.

Taken together, the school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint when compared to other districts in Racine County. This suggests that while some grade levels and subjects are strengths, the school faces real soft spots in upper-grade literacy and science that a family with students entering those years may want to understand better by speaking with the school.

No data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. The district brief turned up no recent changes in curriculum, budget, or policy that met the bar for a lasting parent-relevant shift.

The housing market in Waterford carries a high price relative to state and national benchmarks. Homes in the village's zip code are valued well above the Wisconsin average, and the monthly mortgage cost on a typical home is substantial. The village economy includes multiple industrial and business parks, and the village continues to add residents at a modest annual rate. The median household income in Waterford is solid, and the poverty rate is low.

For a family considering this school, the draw is the full PK-8 span in a single small school, avoiding a middle school transition. The class sizes are small across most grades. The academic data shows a school that is capable of strong results in certain grades and subjects but where reading and science outcomes become noticeably weaker in the upper grades. A parent of a child entering middle school in this building would be wise to ask what support structures exist for those grades where performance tapers off, particularly in reading and science. The village itself is growing, with a walkable downtown and riverfront amenities, but the high cost of housing is a real factor for any family buying or renting in the area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 363%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 75%

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 665%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 12 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 354%

School 54% · District 54%

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 65%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 19 pts above county median

Grade 674%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 24 pts above county median

Grade 777%

School 77% · District 77%

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 846%

School 46% · District 46%

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Science

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 831%

School 31% · District 31%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 65%

even with state median · even with county median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 54%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolWashington-Caldwell 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 4Lower-income0%Higher-income77%77 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income29%Higher-income85%56 pp gap