Spring Hill Elementary, Wisconsin Dells WI

Original Research by School Decision on Spring Hill Elementary

Spring Hill Elementary serves students from Pre-K through fifth grade as a regular public school within the Wisconsin Dells School District. For a family looking at elementary options in this part of Columbia County, this school represents the district’s primary early-education pathway, drawing from the surrounding community and feeding into the district’s middle and high schools.

The school’s student body reflects a mix of backgrounds common to a tourism-dependent small city. White students make up a clear majority of the enrollment. Latino students form the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, and Asian. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which indicates that economic need is present for many families attending this school.

On the Wisconsin state assessments, proficiency rates vary by subject and grade level. In math, the third and fourth grades posted results where roughly three out of every five students met or exceeded the state’s proficiency standard. Fifth grade math was weaker, with under half of students reaching that bar. In English language arts, the fourth grade had about half of its students proficient, the third grade was just under that mark, and the fifth grade again was lower, under two out of five. In science and social studies, both tested in fourth grade, science showed about two out of five students proficient while social studies had roughly half of students meeting the standard. When viewed together across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Columbia County, a comparison set that includes seven other districts. A parent may want to look into how the school supports students who are not yet meeting benchmarks, particularly in the upper elementary grades.

The enrollment for the school is moderate for an elementary building serving this grade span. Class groups from Kindergarten through fifth grade show roughly similar numbers of students per grade, with the second grade being somewhat larger than the rest. The Pre-K program draws a notable number of children. This is a neighborhood school operating in a district that has not made any recent large-scale changes visible in the public record. The district brief from the most recent period did not surface referendums, curriculum shifts, facility projects, or other parent-relevant developments.

The community context is dominated by tourism. Wisconsin Dells is a small city with a modest year-round population that swells with millions of visitors annually. The local economy runs on resorts, waterparks, restaurants, and retail along the Wisconsin Dells Parkway. Housing values in the area are near the state benchmark. The built environment outside the downtown core is overwhelmingly car-oriented, with the Strip functioning as the main commercial artery. Civic anchors include state parks, the Wisconsin River gorge, the H.H. Bennett Studio historic site, and an Amtrak station. For a family, this means the school day operates in a town that is seasonal and visitor-driven, where the residential base is small relative to the number of hotel rooms and attractions.

Because this school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data and special education and English learner counts were not available in the data provided, so those dimensions of school life are not part of this picture. A parent interested in those areas would need to ask the school or district directly. The school’s participation rates on state tests were high, suggesting that most students present for testing were assessed.

Spring Hill Elementary is a straightforward neighborhood elementary school in a tourism-defined town. Its academic performance relative to nearby districts is lower, particularly by fifth grade, and families may want to understand what interventions or enrichment are in place. The school’s size and grade span are typical for the area, and it operates without charter or magnet designation.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 60% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 61% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 545%

School 45% · District 46% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 349%

School 49% · District 50% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 51% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 43% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Science

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 58% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

This schoolWisconsin Dells 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-income45%Higher-income56%11 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income66%26 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income51%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income54%Higher-income71%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income52%Higher-income71%19 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income54%15 pp gap