Summary:
Darien, Wisconsin is home to a single public school: Darien Elementary, an elementary school serving grades 3–4 with 223 students, located at 125 S Walworth St and part of the Delavan-Darien School District. Because it is the only school in the city, there is nothing to compare it against locally, so the most useful reference points are its own district and the state of Wisconsin as a whole.
Attendance is the clearest strength. Chronic absenteeism at Darien Elementary was 11.7% in 2024–2025, below the district's 13.1% and well below the state's 17.3%. Families may also note the student-teacher ratio of 11.2, which points to relatively small classes, and per-student spending of $17,391 in 2024–2025. At the same time, 65.92% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating substantial economic need. The school's statewide ranking has slipped over three years: from the 31st percentile in 2023–2024 to the 26th and then the 22nd in 2025–2026, with its star rating falling from 2 stars to 1 star. That 2025–2026 result places it 811th out of 1,039 ranked schools. The district's own standing is lower still — 412th out of 432, at the 5th percentile with 0 stars — which makes the school a relative bright spot within its district even though it remains below average statewide.
Academically, Darien Elementary scored below the state average in every reported subject and grade in both 2024–2025 and 2025–2026. The gaps ranged from about 6.92 percentage points to 22.68 percentage points, and the school's average gap to the state widened from roughly -10.06 to -14.40 percentage points. The biggest concern is 4th grade Mathematics, where 30.19% were proficient in 2025–2026 against 52.87% statewide, a drop of 11.71 points from the prior year. The strongest results were 4th grade Social Studies at 51.89% and 3rd grade Mathematics at 45.83%. Only 3rd grade Mathematics (+3.24 points) and 4th grade Science (+1.13 points) improved year over year.
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