Enrollment in the Oconomowoc Area School District has undergone significant changes over the last 10 years. After years of steady increases, enrollment plateaued from 2016 to 2019, then began to decline each year.
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This decline is due to several factors, including decreasing birth rates in our area, a decrease in families with school-age children living in or moving into the area, and an increase in private, parochial, and charter school options nearby.
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Our enrollment declines over the last seven years have not been centralized; they have been spread across all eight of our schools and 13 grade levels, so that the declines have impacted each school differently. The availability of housing or space for new housing development has also impacted each school's enrollment differently.
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It's easy to see that the majority of new home construction in the area is occurring on the Northern end of our district, near Meadow View Elementary, and the Southern end of our district, near Summit Elementary. Not all of these homes are being purchased by families with school-age children, but the development has brought enough new families to the community that the enrollment at Summit Elementary and Meadow View Elementary is growing while enrollment at our other schools is either stable or declining.
Meadow View Elementary opened in 2019 and has a functional capacity of 653 students with a current enrollment of 560 students. Summit Elementary opened in 2003 and has a functional capacity of 512 students with a current enrollment of 482 students.
Our other schools have the following capacity and enrollment:
Greenland Elementary School
- Functional Capacity: 414
- 2026-27 School Year Enrollment: 235
Ixonia Elementary School
- Functional Capacity: 366
- 2026-27 School Year Enrollment: 232
Meadow View Elementary School
- Functional Capacity: 653
- 2026-27 School Year Enrollment: 560
Park Lawn Elementary School
- Functional Capacity: 444
- 2026-27 School Year Enrollment: 358
Summit Elementary School
- Functional Capacity: 512
- 2026-27 School Year Enrollment: 482
Nature Hill Intermediate School
- Functional Capacity: 872
- 2026-27 School Year Enrollment: 753
Silver Lake Intermediate School
- Functional Capacity: 872
- 2026-27 School Year Enrollment: 614
Oconomowoc High School
- Functional Capacity: 1,815
- 2026-27 School Year Enrollment: 1,600
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Based on the anticipated housing development in the Meadow View and Summit Elementary areas, in the next three years, Meadow View enrollment is projected to grow by 30 students and Summit enrollment is projected to grow by 50 students. These projections are based on the November 2025 Enrollment Analysis Report by RSP & Associates.
Summit Elementary is operating near the building's functional capacity and cannot sustain the projected enrollment growth in that area of the community.
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Housing development has been growing in the Northern and Southern portions of our district for several years, and we have seen the impact of that growth on our schools. Starting in January 2025, our School Board and leadership team began reviewing historic enrollment data and future projections to gain a deeper understanding of each school's capacity and utilization of the spaces.
The OASD School Board and district leadership team discussed enrollment, school capacity, and potential short-term and long-term solutions multiple times. Use the links within the timeline to read the full School Board Meeting notes and materials.
Timeline
- District leaders and the OASD School Board reviewed historic enrollment data and previous enrollment projection and capacity studies.
- The group discussed ideas for short-term and long-term school capacity management, including:
- Adding temporary classrooms at Summit Elementary
- Expanding Summit Elementary
- Altering district attendance boundaries
- Centralizing 4K programming at one location
- Centralizing early learning (possibly 4K, 5K, and 1st grade) at one location
- Shifting 4th grade students to intermediate schools
- Establishing a magnet school
- Building a new elementary school
- The School Board asked the leadership team to study the necessity, feasibility, and cost implications of these ideas and brainstorm other options.
- The OASD School Board reviewed proposals for a new enrollment projection study and approved a partnership with RSP & Associates to complete the study.
- The School Board requested a proposal from Bray Architects to conduct a feasibility study, including high-level cost estimates, for an expansion of the current Summit Elementary and the development of an elementary school on the current Silver Lake site.
- RSP & Associates presented a comprehensive district enrollment analysis and a five-year projected enrollment report.
- The OASD School Board approved the feasibility study proposal from Bray Architects, which will provide information about both the feasibility and high-level costs of a potential expansion to Summit Elementary, either through the addition of permanent or temporary classrooms.
- Bray Architects presented their findings from a feasibility study.
- The OASD School Board discussed the short-term and long-term capacity management options, enrollment projection study, and feasibility study.
- Based on the estimated costs, the Board decided to remove the following options from consideration at this time:
- Adding temporary classrooms at Summit Elementary
- Expanding Summit Elementary
- Establishing a magnet school
- Building a new elementary school
- The Board also discussed a partnership with RSP & Associates to prepare a more detailed study of the following options:
- Altering district attendance boundaries
- Centralizing early learning (possibly 4K, 5K, and 1st grade) at one location
- Shifting 4th grade students to intermediate schools
- The Board approved a proposal from RSP & Associates to study and facilitate the solution to long-term school capacity challenges. Their facilitation will include updated enrollment projections and verification of new housing development, school attendance boundary analysis, and community and family input sessions.
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The district leadership team and OASD School Board have been studying the community growth and enrollment trends for almost two years. The next phase of discussion and decision-making will be a collaboration between our OASD families, staff, school and district leaders, the School Board, and our community.
This timeline provides initial information about the process to evaluate potential solutions and make final decisions about the long-term capacity challenges.
November 2026
- School Capacity Management Survey emailed to OASD families.
December 2026
- School Capacity Management Survey results shared with OASD families, staff, and School Board at the December 2, 2026, School Board meeting and on our website.
- RSP & Associates presents their updated enrollment analysis at the December 2, 2026, School Board meeting.
January - June 2027
- OASD convenes an advisory committee that will meet multiple times and use the family survey data along with reports from RSP & Associates to determine recommended solutions. The advisory committee will include family and staff representatives.
- Advisory committee meeting notes will be shared on our website.
March 2027
- The OASD will host several community listening sessions where families and community members can provide feedback on potential solutions.
- Community meeting notes will be shared on our website.
Spring 2027
- The advisory committee will review the community feedback to refine potential solutions and recommend a final scenario.
- Advisory committee meeting notes will be shared on our website.
Beginning in Summer 2027
- The OASD School Board will review and discuss the recommendations. A final decision is expected in September or October 2027. Our district leadership team will then develop the timeline and plan for implementation of that scenario and share the information with families, staff, and the community.
The final plan will tentatively be implemented for the 2028-29 school year.
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