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Waters Elementary

Q: Is Waters Elementary a good school?

Waters Elementary ranks 328 th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

328^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Waters Elementary is a public elementary school located in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, serving grades PK-5 with a student population of 393. It is part of the Fond du Lac School District, which is ranked 263 out of 426 districts in Wisconsin and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Waters Elementary has shown strong academic performance, with students consistently outperforming the district and state averages in various subjects and grade levels on the Forward Exam. In the 2024-2025 school year, Waters Elementary had 55.77% of 3rd graders, 61.4% of 4th graders, and 57.14% of 5th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the district averages of 57.46%, 51.41%, and 54.7%, respectively. In mathematics, Waters Elementary had 59.62% of 3rd graders, 70.18% of 4th graders, and 61.43% of 5th graders proficient or better, outperforming the district averages of 62.29%, 57.98%, and 56.89%. The school also excelled in social studies and science, with 78.95% of 4th graders proficient or better in social studies and 61.4% proficient or better in science, compared to the district averages of 59.15% and 50%, respectively.

While Waters Elementary has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates in recent years, ranging from 9.8% to 21.2%, the school has shown improvement, with the rate decreasing from 21.2% in 2022-2023 to 17.7% in 2023-2024. Compared to nearby schools in the Fond du Lac School District, Waters Elementary's performance is generally stronger, particularly in comparison to Parkside Elementary, Chegwin Elementary, and Riverside Elementary, which have lower rankings and test scores. However, Lakeshore Elementary, located just 2.51 miles away, is the highest-performing school in the district, consistently ranking among the top 31 elementary schools in Wisconsin and outperforming Waters Elementary in most academic areas.

389

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$12,525

Per pupil spending ?

46.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

495 Wabash Ave
Fond du Lac, WI 54935-5924

(920) 929-2845

District: Fond du Lac School District

Students who attend Waters Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Theisen Middle
High:	Fond du Lac High

Racial breakdown:

White:

70.2%

Hispanic:

15.9%

Two or more races:

8.0%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Waters Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 74th percentile in 2015 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (63% vs 54% meeting standards)

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Fond du Lac School District

✓Above the Wisconsin median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

District avg56%

Wisconsin avg54%

328^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From top 26% (2015) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 9Elementary Schools in the Fond du Lac School District

263^rd of 426Fond du Lac School District among Wisconsin districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	69.4	328 of 1044	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.7	380 of 1061	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	54.4	551 of 1067	48.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	66.1	343 of 1067	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2021	62.1	396 of 1050	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	58.8	452 of 1037	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.2	389 of 1025	62.0%	★★★☆☆
2017	72.5	254 of 1071	76.3%	★★★★☆
2016	78.4	169 of 1075	84.3%	★★★★☆
2015	70.7	277 of 1076	74.3%	★★★★☆
2014	68.0	293 of 1061	72.4%	★★★★☆
2013	65.4	336 of 1053	68.1%	★★★☆☆
2012	46.2	742 of 1045	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	49.4	680 of 1046	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2010	40.6	768 of 1045	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	55.2	555 of 1030	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.3	557 of 1021	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2006	60.6	355 of 712	50.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	63.3	273 of 633	56.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	72.7	41 of 255	83.9%	★★★★☆
2024	42.4	145 of 269	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	73.2	247 of 1001	75.3%	★★★★☆
2024	62.2	414 of 1011	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.2	501 of 1010	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.4	297 of 1017	70.8%	★★★★☆
2021	64.8	334 of 1004	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.7	260 of 1002	74.1%	★★★★☆
2018	74.4	211 of 997	78.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	65.3	86 of 322	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	50.0	150 of 331	54.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	70.2	176 of 870	79.8%	★★★★☆
2024	62.8	275 of 866	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.0	449 of 871	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	77.2	105 of 859	87.8%	★★★★☆
2021	62.8	240 of 847	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	53.4	380 of 874	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.0	338 of 854	60.4%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	60.2	415 of 1000	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.2	309 of 1012	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	53.2	531 of 1011	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.9	371 of 1017	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	58.0	444 of 1003	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	48.5	563 of 1002	43.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	52.1	522 of 997	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	63.8	33 of 119	72.3%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	19.8	668 of 770	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	70.5	137 of 742	81.5%	★★★★☆
2018	79.3	74 of 721	89.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	65.6	245 of 718	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	64.8	246 of 727	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	39.8	478 of 715	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.6	369 of 704	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.9	338 of 699	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	47.3	399 of 718	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.4	354 of 686	48.4%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2025)84th percentile+15 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)80th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)75th percentile+7 vs school

Hispanic (2025)73rd percentile+5 vs school

Multi-racial (2024)72nd percentile+8 vs school

White (2025)66th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)58th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2023)13th percentile-35 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies79%+15 vs state

Mathematics64%+10 vs state

Science61%+11 vs state

English Language Arts58%+6 vs state

★

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Schools Near Waters Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2025)						Forward Exam Mathematics (2025)						Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)		Forward Exam Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Waters Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	495 Wabash Ave	Fond du Lac	54935	Fond du Lac County	Fond du Lac School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 929-2845	389	28	14.1	46.3%	273 (70.2%)	9 (2.3%)	62 (15.9%)	12 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (8.0%)	69.4	328^th of 1044 public elementary schools	68.6%		66.7	380^th of 1061 public elementary schools	64.2%	52	55.8	61.4	57.1				59.6	70.2	61.4				79.0		61.4		$12,525	$525	$12,000
Roberts Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	270 Candy Ln	Fond du Lac	54935	Fond du Lac County	Fond du Lac School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 929-2835	317	26	12.1	50.5%	218 (68.8%)	12 (3.8%)	50 (15.8%)	10 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.5%)	56.1	510^th of 1044 public elementary schools	51.1%		52.9	594^th of 1061 public elementary schools	44.0%	84	58.8	50.9	67.7				56.9	53.5	51.6				51.7		53.5		$12,737	$454	$12,284
Riverside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	396 Linden St	Fond du Lac	54935	Fond du Lac County	Fond du Lac School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 929-2880	273	24	11.3	70.0%	122 (44.7%)	27 (9.9%)	87 (31.9%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (12.8%)	45.9	642^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	38.5%		39.5	734^th of 1061 public elementary schools	30.8%	92	69.4	38.1	40.5				75.0	54.8	45.2				54.8		31.0		$16,875	$1,462	$15,413
Pier Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	259 Old Pioneer Rd	Fond du Lac	54935	Fond du Lac County	Fond du Lac School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 929-2868	274	25	11.1	61.7%	130 (47.4%)	52 (19.0%)	57 (20.8%)	15 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (7.3%)	33	783^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	25.0%		28.3	824^th of 1061 public elementary schools	22.3%	41	47.6	36.4	32.4				59.5	33.3	48.7				36.4		33.3		$13,688	$1,084	$12,604
Chegwin Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	109 E Merrill Ave	Fond du Lac	54935	Fond du Lac County	Fond du Lac School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 929-2820	296	31	9.5	75.3%	113 (38.2%)	51 (17.2%)	89 (30.1%)	13 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (10.1%)	28.4	818^th of 1044 public elementary schools	21.6%		20.6	882^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	16.9%	64	25.8	40.5	35.9				34.4	43.2	45.0				48.7		37.8		$15,731	$1,899	$13,832
Rosenow Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	290 Weis Ave	Fond du Lac	54935	Fond du Lac County	Fond du Lac School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 929-2996	351	26	13.5	51.3%	249 (70.9%)	18 (5.1%)	51 (14.5%)	6 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.7%)	58.2	487^th of 1044 public elementary schools	53.4%		53	593^rd of 1061 public elementary schools	44.1%	106	64.6	47.5	55.9				79.2	54.2	57.6				57.6		47.5		$12,478	$536	$11,942
Evans Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	140 S Peters Ave	Fond du Lac	54935	Fond du Lac County	Fond du Lac School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 929-2828	279	24	11.8	65.6%	133 (47.7%)	29 (10.4%)	60 (21.5%)	21 (7.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (12.2%)	49.9	588^th of 1044 public elementary schools	43.7%		61	471^st of 1061 public elementary schools	55.6%	117	52.2	40.5	61.1				56.5	52.4	66.7				47.6		45.2		$13,413	$816	$12,597
Parkside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	475 W Arndt St	Fond du Lac	54935	Fond du Lac County	Fond du Lac School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 929-2840	325	33	9.8	79.4%	97 (29.8%)	51 (15.7%)	146 (44.9%)	5 (1.5%)	7 (2.2%)	1 (0.3%)	18 (5.5%)	30.8	803^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	23.1%		20	886^th of 1061 public elementary schools	16.5%	83	40.5	48.5	40.0				37.2	50.0	31.8				46.9		34.4		$14,984	$1,376	$13,608
Lakeshore Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	706 Prairie Rd	Fond du Lac	54935	Fond du Lac County	Fond du Lac School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 929-2901	354	25	14.1	16.1%	313 (88.4%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.6%)	6 (1.7%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	93.1	13^th of 1044 public elementary schools	98.8%		92.5	18^th of 1061 public elementary schools	98.3%	5	87.9	79.7	80.0				89.7	87.5	89.2				85.9		79.7		$10,675	$536	$10,139
Treffert Way for the Exceptional Mind	Public, Charter	K-8	705 Minnesota Ave	North Fond du Lac	54937	Fond du Lac County	North Fond du Lac School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 266-8199	60	4	14.9	65.0%	55 (91.7%)	1 (1.7%)	2 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.7%)	11.2	935^th of 1044 public elementary schools	10.4%		14.4	925^th of 1061 public elementary schools	12.8%	10		16.7	16.7	12.5	50.0	25.0		16.7	50.0	25.0	25.0	25.0	16.7	37.5	16.7	25.0	$21,483	$4,648	$16,835

Frequently Asked Questions about Waters Elementary

What schools do graduates of Waters Elementary attend?

Students who attend Waters Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Theisen Middle
High : Fond du Lac High

Is Waters Elementary a good school?

Waters Elementary ranks 328^th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Waters Elementary?

Students at Waters Elementary are 70% White, 16% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% African American.

How many students attend Waters Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 389 students attended Waters Elementary.

What district is Waters Elementary in?

Fond du Lac School District

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 ACT & Forward Exam scoresSep 25, 2025

2023–24 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 6, 2025

2023–24 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 8, 2024

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.