Lake Mills Area School District

What Lake Mills Area School District does

Lake Mills Area School District (LMASD) is a public K-12 school district and government subdivision of the State of Wisconsin, operating three schools (Lake Mills Elementary serving 4K-4th grade, Lake Mills Middle School serving 5th-8th grade, and Lake Mills High School serving 9th-12th grade) from its district office at 120 East Lake Park Place in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. The district serves students residing in the City of Lake Mills and parts of seven municipalities in Jefferson County (Town of Aztalan, Town of Lake Mills, Town of Milford, Town of Oakland, Town of Waterloo, and Town of Watertown), with a governance structure led by an elected five-member Board of Education and a District Administrator. The district maintains recognized academic quality with all three schools rated 'Exceeds Expectations' on the 2024-2025 Wisconsin School Report Cards, LEED Platinum-certified elementary and middle school facilities, and an award-winning music program with 71% participation among 7th-12th graders.

The district's service offering is built on a portfolio of vendor-provided educational technology platforms rather than proprietary systems: Skyward for student information, Google Workspace for collaboration, i-Ready Diagnostic and FastBridge for adaptive assessment, Xello for career planning, RSchoolToday for online registration, Frontline for substitute management, Finalsite for the district website, and BoardDocs for governance transparency. Curriculum is grounded in research-based frameworks including Collaborative Literacy for early reading instruction, Understanding by Design for curriculum design, and Wisconsin academic standards across 20+ subject areas. Specialized programs include multilingual learner support with a bilingual family liaison, gifted and talented identification, special education services (ages 3-21), and dual-credit pathways through the Early College Credit Program and Start College Now with higher education partners. Operations are supported by a School Resource Officer program with the City of Lake Mills Police Department and the Wisconsin DOJ Speak Up, Speak Out confidential reporting system.

LMASD is funded through a diversified but constrained public revenue model with no tuition charged to resident students. Primary funding comes from local property taxes levied across the seven-municipality district, supplemented by Wisconsin state equalization aid (frozen through 2027 creating an estimated ~$3,571 per-pupil shortfall), partial special education reimbursement (state covers only ~38-40% of actual costs, requiring growing general fund supplements from $1.75M in 2023 to a projected $2.5M in 2026), federal ESSER grants, and voter-approved referendums for capital projects. The most recent $51.2M November 2024 Facilities Referendum approved district-wide improvements and a high school gym replacement with $0 tax impact on the larger question due to prepaid debt and favorable interest rates. The district is currently in active construction phase (2025-2027) on the Early Learning Center addition, Bus Barn relocation, and High School renovations, managed by Findorff as construction partner.

Name

Lake Mills Area School District

Legal name

Lake Mills Area School District

Website

https://lakemills.k12.wi.us

Company type

Public

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Lake Mills Area School District is a Wisconsin public K-12 district operating three schools (elementary, middle, high) serving students across the City of Lake Mills and six surrounding municipalities, funded by local property taxes, state equalization aid, and voter-approved referendums.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preschool Programs within Childcare Centers (EDACABAL), Kids & Teens Language Enrichment Programs (EDAMAFAH), Orton-Gillingham & Structured Literacy Enrichment (EDAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• School district services
• Special education programs
• Multilingual learner education
• Community education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Mills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Revenue: Primary funding source from local property taxes levied on properties within the district boundaries covering parts of seven municipalities: City of Lake Mills, Town of Aztalan, Town of Lake Mills, Town of Milford, Town of Oakland, Town of Waterloo, Town of Watertown. Mill rates fund district operations and debt service.
2. State Equalization Aid: State funding from Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction based on equalization formulas. State has frozen equalization aid through 2027, creating funding gaps estimated at approximately $3,571 per pupil compared to inflation-adjusted levels.
3. Special Education Reimbursement: Partial reimbursement from Wisconsin for special education costs. State covers approximately 38-40% of actual special education spending despite legal requirements to provide services. District supplements from general fund: $1.75M (2023), $1.95M (2024), $2.3M (2025), projected $2.5M (2026).
4. Capital Referendum Funding: Community-approved bonding for facility improvements. November 2024 referendum approved $51.2 million ($36.9M district-wide improvements + $14.3M high school gym replacement) with $0 tax impact due to favorable interest rates and prepayment of previous debt.
5. Federal ESSER Grants: COVID-19 relief funding through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund for emergency expenses and continuity of services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lake Mills Area School District is a public K-12 school district that provides comprehensive educational services to students from 4-year-old kindergarten through 12th grade across three schools (Elementary, Middle, and High School). The district delivers core academic instruction, special education, multilingual learner programs, career and technical education, athletics, music, before/after school child care, summer school, and community recreation programs to residents of the City of Lake Mills and surrounding municipalities in Jefferson County, Wisconsin.

Product overview

Lake Mills Area School District operates a unified educational services offering through three schools (Elementary, Middle, and High School), supported by an integrated digital platform portfolio. The district's primary digital products include the Finalsite-powered district website, Skyward Family Access student information portal, BoardDocs governance platform, and dedicated project pages for referendum construction updates. The district's LEED Platinum-certified facilities reflect its commitment to environmental sustainability in its physical infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lake Mills Elementary School (4K-4)

Quantifiable outcome

• All three schools rated 'Exceeds Expectations' on 2024-2025 Wisconsin School Accountability Report Cards
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FindorffcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 17 October 2025Construction management firm serving as project manager for 2024 Facilities Referendum construction projects including Early Learning Center, Bus Barn, and High School improvements. Jon Winch serves as Project Manager.
• Lake Mills CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2024Community partnership with Lake Mills residents who approved November 2024 Facilities Referendum ($51.2M) supporting school improvements. Includes collaborative advisory team of 42 community members who shaped long-range facilities planning.
• L.D. Fargo LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for summer reading challenges and book lending services. The district collaborates with the library to support family literacy engagement and summer reading programs for students.
• Wisconsin Department of Justice - Speak Up, Speak Out ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Wisconsin DOJ's confidential reporting system allowing students and community members to report tips on potential harm or criminal activities directed at students, employees, and schools. Resource center operates 24/7 with direct communication to school administrators, law enforcement, and counselors.
• Winona State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity where School Resource Officer Jessica Johnson completed her Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice before attending Madison Area Technical College's Law Enforcement Academy.
• Madison Area Technical CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical college where School Resource Officer Jessica Johnson completed Law Enforcement Academy as Pre-Service Candidate after attending Winona State University.
• Higher Education Institutions (Early College Credit Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with institutions of higher education allowing students in grades 11-12 to take up to 2 courses per semester at colleges/universities through Early College Credit Program and Start College Now. Provides dual credit opportunities and pathway to post-secondary education.
• JEDI Online SchoolminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlternative virtual school option for students K-12 with 'Satisfactory Progress' rating from DPI, available through open enrollment for families seeking full-time virtual education options.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fort Atkinson School District: Neighboring Jefferson County, Wisconsin public school district serving K-12 with multiple school buildings; directly comparable to Lake Mills on size, geography, and Wisconsin public school funding model.
• Jefferson School District: Jefferson County public school district serving the City of Jefferson and surrounding towns; comparable Wisconsin K-12 district with similar property-tax funding structure and open enrollment exposure.
• Waterloo School District: Jefferson County public K-12 district whose catchment overlaps parts of the Lake Mills territory; highly comparable in scale, rural Wisconsin demographics, and per-pupil funding dynamics.
• Watertown Unified School District: Larger unified school district in Jefferson County, WI operating multiple schools under similar state funding and accountability frameworks; useful as a scaled peer for Lake Mills.
• Cambridge School District: Small Wisconsin K-12 public district serving Cambridge and surrounding rural communities; comparable to Lake Mills in scale, community-based governance, and reliance on referendums for capital projects.
• Whitewater Unified School District: Wisconsin K-12 unified school district similar in size and operating under the same state accountability, equalization aid, and open enrollment framework as Lake Mills.
• Edgerton School District: Nearby Rock County, Wisconsin public K-12 district of similar enrollment scale; comparable funding structure, special education dynamics, and community-referendum-driven capital planning.
• Stoughton Area School District: Wisconsin K-12 district of comparable size offering similar comprehensive programming including special education, multilingual learner services, and community recreation.
• Oregon School District: South-central Wisconsin K-12 public district of similar scale; comparable governance, Wisconsin state accountability rating system exposure, and property-tax-funded operations.
• Evansville Community School District: Wisconsin public K-12 district comparable to Lake Mills on enrollment, facility footprint, and reliance on community-supported referendums for capital projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lakemillsareaschooldistric5034
• Facebookfacebook.com/LakeMillsSD
• Instagraminstagram.com/lakemillsareasd
• Xx.com/LakeMillsSD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lake-mills-area-school-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Mills Area School District