Waters Elementary

Waters Elementary is one of the moderately sized primary schools in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, operated by Fond du Lac School District, with 389 students on its rolls from grades pre-K through 5. Enrollment runs roughly 20% larger than the state mean of about 323.

Fond du Lac School District comprises 15 schools with combined enrollment of 6,457 students; Waters Elementary is among them.

In terms of who attends, Waters Elementary records that the largest single group is White, at 70% of enrollment. The remainder reads as 16% Hispanic, 8% multiracial, 3% Asian, 2% Black. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 88%.

Looking at school resources, The school employs 28 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.1:1. The state averages about 14.7:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. About 46% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Waters Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 49.3%; this one delivers 62.7%.

Zooming out to the county, Fond du Lac County reports that median household income runs about $74,275, 22% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 6%. Across Fond du Lac County's 42 public schools (combined enrollment of about 13,230 students), Waters Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Roberts Elementary is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.6 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Waters Elementary at 1st of 9; the average score across the group is 50.0%.

Waters Elementary operates from a city-core location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 9%: 426 students in 2018 compared to 389 in 2025. The White share of enrollment declined from 85% to 70% over that span. Class-load math has narrowed: from 15.6:1 in 2018 to 14.1:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, members of the Waters Elementary community share and discuss fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.