The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Science. The lowest is 47% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Bar Nunn Elementary
Bar Nunn Elementary sits on Siebke Drive in Casper, Wyoming, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of Natrona County School District #1. It is a traditional public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is modest for an elementary serving that grade range. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic population making up the next largest share, and small numbers of students identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or two or more races. A portion of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch sits below the midpoint, suggesting a working- and middle-class community rather than a high-poverty one. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available.
Academically, the most recent state testing picture is mixed. In math, proficiency is fairly strong in the third and fourth grades, with roughly half of tested students meeting or exceeding benchmark, but it drops off noticeably by fifth grade. English language arts follows a similar arc, with fourth grade the relative high point and third and fifth grades somewhat lower. Science, tested only in fourth grade at this school, was a relative bright spot, with a clear majority of students reaching proficiency. Participation was full across every tested grade and subject. Measured against the proficiency index for districts in Natrona County, Bar Nunn lands in the bottom quartile, though the county cohort is small and the gap to the median is narrow rather than wide. A parent may want to ask the school about what supports are in place for students moving into the upper elementary grades, particularly in math, where the fifth-grade dip is most pronounced.
Because Bar Nunn serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not have high school course offerings, dual credit, or AP pathways. No program-specific data was provided for specialized offerings, extracurriculars, or after-school activities, so families would need to inquire directly. Staffing, discipline, attendance, and chronic absenteeism figures were also not available in the data we reviewed.
The surrounding community shapes what life at Bar Nunn looks like. Casper is Wyoming's second-largest city, a regional hub for banking, commerce, and energy, with a history rooted in oil that earned it the nickname "The Oil City." The economy still carries energy-industry weight, including a nearby refinery in Evansville and wind-power logistics firms headquartered locally, alongside mining and ranching in the broader region. The school district itself is one of the area's major employers. Casper stretches across a car-oriented landscape with Interstate 25 as its main artery, and civic and cultural institutions, from the Fort Caspar Museum to the Nicolaysen Art Museum to the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, are dispersed across separate campuses rather than clustered in a walkable core. Washington Park hosts summer concerts, the Casper Recreation Center and adjacent aquatics center serve families, and Casper Mountain and Medicine Bow National Forest sit to the southeast for outdoor access.
Housing in the school's zip code is more affordable than the state and national benchmarks, with typical home values sitting well below both. Rents have risen at a faster year-over-year clip than home prices, but renting still costs meaningfully less each month than carrying a mortgage at current rates, which may appeal to families who are new to the area or not yet ready to buy. Home values have ticked up modestly.
One thing families should watch is the broader district context. Natrona County School District #1 has publicly approved a facilities master plan called "Reimagining the Future of NCSD" that includes school consolidations, a new elementary school, and repurposing of older buildings to address declining enrollment and aging infrastructure. Bar Nunn itself was not singled out in the available reporting, but a plan of this scale could reshape attendance boundaries and feeder patterns across the district, so families enrolling young children may want to stay engaged with district communications as changes roll out.
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