Paradise Valley Elementary, Casper WY

Original Research by School Decision on Paradise Valley Elementary

Paradise Valley Elementary sits in Casper, Wyoming's second-largest city and a regional hub for banking, commerce, and the energy industry. The school serves kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Natrona County School District #1, the largest district in the county. Casper itself is a sprawling, car-oriented city with a modest downtown corridor along the North Platte River, Casper Mountain rising to the southeast, and a built environment where residential neighborhoods, civic institutions, and energy-sector functions spread across separate campuses rather than concentrating in a single core. Publicly reported sources describe Casper's economy as historically rooted in oil and natural gas, with a surviving Sinclair Oil refinery nearby in Evansville, supplemented by mining and ranching. The Natrona County School District is one of the city's major employers.

Academic results at Paradise Valley are a clear strength. On the most recent state assessments, WY-TOPP, proficiency rates across tested grades and subjects were strong, with math and English language arts results in the upper range and fifth-grade performance particularly high. Science proficiency for fourth grade was solid as well. Full participation across all tested grades means these results reflect the whole tested population, not a subset. When measured against districts in Natrona County, the school's overall proficiency sits in the top quartile, which gives parents a concrete sense of where it stands among local peers. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate, and that metric does not apply here. Trend data across prior years was not available, so it is not yet possible to say whether these results are improving, stable, or recent gains.

The student body is predominantly white, with a smaller Hispanic presence and a small number of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is below what many urban elementary schools see and suggests a relatively moderate-income family base. The school does not carry charter or magnet designation. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available, and Title I status was not reported. Discipline, staffing, attendance, and chronic-absenteeism information was also absent from the available data, so a parent looking into those dimensions would want to ask the school directly.

Housing in the school's zip code is more affordable than both the state and national benchmarks, with typical home values sitting below the Wyoming average and well below the national figure. Renting is modestly cheaper than carrying a mortgage at current interest rates, which may matter for families deciding between buying and renting in the area. The broader affordability picture, based on national median household income, shows a price-to-income ratio that is somewhat elevated but not extreme by national standards.

Families should be aware that the district is in the midst of a significant facilities transition. The Natrona County School District board approved a comprehensive master plan that includes school consolidations, construction of a new elementary school, and repurposing of older buildings to address declining enrollment and aging infrastructure. While Paradise Valley Elementary itself is open and operating, the districtwide changes could reshape school boundaries and feeder patterns in the years ahead. A parent considering enrollment would do well to ask how the master plan may affect this school specifically.

What the picture shows overall is a solidly performing elementary school in an affordable, mid-sized Western city with an energy-and-service economy, strong assessment results relative to its county peers, and a district navigating structural change that could affect families across Casper.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 60% · ▲ 6 pts above district

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

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 58%

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

Grade 569%

School 69% · District 57% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 18 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 366%

School 66% · District 54% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 48% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 572%

School 72% · District 59% · ▲ 12 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 55% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

This schoolNatrona County School District #1, 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-income60%Higher-income70%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income56%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income85%52 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income44%Higher-income80%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income69%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income82%48 pp gap