Summary:
ZIP code 53916 covers Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, where four elementary schools — Prairie View Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Washington Elementary, and Lincoln Elementary — serve roughly 1,126 students in pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, all within the Beaver Dam Unified School District, which ranks 180th of 432 Wisconsin districts at the 58th percentile with 3 stars.
Prairie View Elementary is the clear standout, ranking 89th of 1,039 elementary schools statewide in 2025–26 at the 91st percentile with 5 stars. It posts the top ELA results in every tested grade, the top math in grades 3 and 5, the top science score (65.52%), and the lowest chronic absenteeism at 4.8%. Washington Elementary ranks 163rd (84th percentile, 4 stars) and leads in 4th-grade math (80.00%) and social studies (81.82%), though its scores eased from an exceptional 2024–25. Jefferson Elementary (55th percentile) and Lincoln Elementary (57th percentile) both climbed from 2 stars to 3 stars, with social studies up about 16–17 points at each, but both still trail the district average in most subjects. Lincoln's science proficiency of 40.00% is the lowest result here and well below the state's 53.46%, and Jefferson's 4th- and 5th-grade math (48.08% and 42.55%) also falls below state.
Attendance is a shared strength: every school's chronic absenteeism sits below the district's 14.2% and the state's 17.3%. Spending and class size do not track neatly with results — Washington has the lowest per-student spending ($14,505) and the largest classes (16.4 students per teacher) yet strong outcomes, while Lincoln spends the most ($17,914) with lower science and overall results. Prairie View has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (42.14%) and the strongest results; Lincoln has the highest (66.17%).
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