Summary:
Beaver Dam, Wisconsin is served by six public schools — four elementary schools (Prairie View, Jefferson, Washington, and Lincoln), one middle school (Beaver Dam Middle), and one high school (Beaver Dam High) — all part of the Beaver Dam Unified School District, which enrolls about 2,790 students and ranks 180 of 432 Wisconsin districts (58th percentile, 3 stars). Schools span PK–5, 6–8, and 9–12, and performance varies widely within the same district.
Elementary performance is the district's strength. Prairie View Elementary ranks 89 of 1,039 (91st percentile) with 5 stars and has the city's lowest chronic absenteeism at 4.8%. Washington Elementary ranks 163 of 1,039 (84th percentile) with 4 stars and strong math results, even though it has the highest student-teacher ratio in the city at 16.4. Lincoln Elementary (447 of 1,039, 57th percentile, 3 stars) and Jefferson Elementary (467 of 1,039, 55th percentile, 3 stars) sit closer to state averages. The secondary tier is weaker: Beaver Dam Middle ranks 408 of 643 (37th percentile, 2 stars) and Beaver Dam High 289 of 533 (46th percentile, 2 stars). Middle school math is above the state in every tested grade, but science and social studies lag well behind, and the high school's ACT math proficiency is 33.03% against 42.93% statewide.
Chronic absenteeism tracks closely with performance: 4.8% and 5.4% at the two top elementaries, 17.5% at the middle school, and 20.3% at the high school; all four elementaries fall below the district's 14.2% and the state's 17.3%. Graduation is a strength at 96.4%, above the state's 92.0%, with a 1.0% dropout rate. Spending and class size don't automatically produce results: Lincoln spends the most per student ($17,914) with a 10.4 student-teacher ratio yet ranks below Washington, which spends the least ($14,505). Most schools have improved their rank percentile over the past three years.
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