Douglas Elementary, Watertown WI

Original Research by School Decision on Douglas Elementary

Douglas Elementary serves students from four-year-old kindergarten through fifth grade in Watertown, a small city straddling Jefferson and Dodge counties about midway between Madison and Milwaukee. The school is one of several elementary buildings spread through the city’s residential neighborhoods, and the district it belongs to, Watertown Unified, has been in the news recently for two major referendums: voters approved a capital plan for building improvements, but a separate operational request to exceed state revenue limits failed by a narrow margin, which the district said would require cuts to programs and staffing.

The student body is predominantly white, with a significant Hispanic population and smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, or Black. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of household income that places this school in a moderate-to-high poverty range for an elementary school. The school does not report the share of students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.

State test results from the 2024-25 school year show a mixed picture across grades and subjects. In English language arts, fourth graders posted a stronger proficiency rate, while third and fifth graders were closer to the midpoint. Math results were more uneven: fourth graders again performed noticeably better than their peers in third and fifth grades, where proficiency rates were lower. In science, fourth graders reached a proficiency rate at the same level as their ELA performance, while fourth graders’ social studies results were the strongest of any tested group in the school. Looking across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quarter among nine districts in Dodge County. Parents comparing schools may want to look into the grade-to-grade variation in math and ask how the school supports students who are not yet at the proficient level.

The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and is not designated as a Title I school in the available data, though its free-lunch rate would typically qualify a school for that federal support. The city of Watertown is described by its own officials as a genuine American hometown, with a historic downtown along the Rock River, a mix of light manufacturing and distribution employers, and a walkable core with an over-nine-mile multi-use trail. Housing values in the area are near the state median, and the typical rent is moderate relative to local incomes, which makes the community accessible for many families.

A notable policy context parents should be aware of: the school district recently adopted a Gender Support Plan for transgender students that has been publicly described as one of the most restrictive such policies in the state. It requires parent notification when a child identifies as transgender or asks to socially transition at school, does not compel staff to use preferred pronouns, and directs students to use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their biological sex. This is a matter of stated district policy and shapes the environment for families with transgender or gender-nonconforming students.

For a family considering Douglas Elementary, the practical takeaway is this: it is a mid-sized neighborhood elementary school in a small city with a modest cost of living and a historic downtown core. Academically, the school shows pockets of strength in fourth grade across subjects and in elementary social studies, while math proficiency for third and fifth graders is an area likely receiving focus. The broader district is navigating a budget constraint after a failed operational referendum, which could affect class sizes, specialist positions, or program offerings in the coming years. A parent would do well to visit, ask about the school’s approach to math instruction across the primary grades, and understand how the district’s recent policy decisions and financial picture may affect their child’s daily experience.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 43% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 35 pts below county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 52% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 56% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 51% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 6 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 457%

School 57% · District 52% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 57% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Science

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 52% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 63% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolWatertown Unified 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-income30%Higher-income58%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income67%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income79%41 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income13%Higher-income45%32 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income52%Higher-income67%15 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income22%Higher-income50%28 pp gap