The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Social studies. The lowest is 58% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Decorah Elementary
Decorah Elementary serves kindergarten through fourth grade in West Bend, within the West Bend School District. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and sits in a residential neighborhood of this mid-sized city that functions as the Washington County seat. West Bend blends historic downtown streets along the Milwaukee River with manufacturing and financial-services roots; employers like West Bend Mutual Insurance and Serigraph remain headquartered there, and many residents commute to neighboring communities while the city retains its own employment base and a self-contained county-seat feel. Parks, a riverwalk, the Eisenbahn State Trail, and a Saturday farmers’ market give the community a distinctly grounded, recreation-oriented character.
Enrollment at Decorah is moderate for a K-through-4 building. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of students who are Hispanic, Black, or of two or more races; both the Black and two-or-more-races groups are represented at about the same size, and the Asian and American Indian populations are very small. Just over a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a notable share but does not make the school high-poverty. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the source material, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
On the Wisconsin Forward assessments, Decorah’s performance shows a clear picture across the grades it tests. In third-grade math, just over half of students scored proficient or above, while the fourth-grade math rate was higher, with roughly two-thirds reaching that bar. In English language arts, third-grade proficiency was around half, and fourth-grade proficiency matched the fourth-grade math rate at about two-thirds. Science, tested only in fourth grade, landed a bit above three-fifths proficient. Social studies, also tested in fourth grade, was a clear strength: nearly four out of five students scored proficient or above, the highest single result for the school. Participation rates were very high, near or at full participation. When compared with other elementary schools across Washington County, Decorah’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the districts in the county. That is a soft spot. The performance is not weak across the board--fourth-grade reading and math are solid, and social studies is strong--but the third-grade numbers are lower, and the composite sits behind most of its county peers. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, especially around early-literacy and early-math instruction.
The district itself is in the middle of a major change. In early 2026, the school board voted to consolidate West Bend East and West Bend West high schools into a single high school starting in the 2027-28 school year. Those two schools had shared one campus for decades with students assigned by birth date. That restructuring will reshape athletics, staffing, and school identity, but it is at the high-school level and does not directly affect Decorah’s elementary program. For families with younger children, the consolidation may be a longer-term consideration as they look ahead to middle and high school.
Housing in West Bend reflects a market where home values are above the national typical level and have seen notable recent increases. Rents are also above the national typical. The city’s population has grown modestly in recent years, and its land area expanded through annexation, suggesting steady but not rapid development. The district’s brief did not include information about program offerings at Decorah, such as art, music, or special programs, so that is an area a parent would want to explore directly with the school.
Decorah Elementary offers a straightforward elementary experience in a stable, amenity-rich community. Its academic results are uneven: fourth grade shows solid proficiency, third grade is softer, and the county comparison is a real concern. For a family weighing this school, the high school consolidation on the horizon is a longer-range factor, and the housing market is expensive relative to national norms. A parent should visit, ask about early-grade interventions, and get a feel for how the school addresses the gaps the data show.
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