Best Elementary Schools in Middleton, WI

Middleton, Wisconsin has five elementary schools — Pope Farm Elementary, Sauk Trail Elementary, Elm Lawn Elementary, Sunset Ridge Elementary, and Northside Elementary — all serving grades PK–4 within the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, which enrolls 1,737 students across these schools and ranks 46th of 432 Wisconsin districts.

For parents comparing schools, Pope Farm Elementary is the clear academic standout: it ranks 47th of 1,039 schools (95th percentile, 5 stars) in 2025-26, has the lowest free/reduced-price lunch rate (7.81%), the lowest chronic absenteeism (6.3%), and top proficiency in most subjects. It also spends the least per student ($15,433) and has the highest student-teacher ratio (13.8). Elm Lawn Elementary and Sunset Ridge Elementary are also 5-star schools, ranking 87th and 84th respectively, both in the 92nd percentile; Elm Lawn posted the highest single proficiency score in the data set — 90.32% in grade 4 social studies in 2024-25. Northside Elementary is a 4-star school at 166th (84th percentile), with a bright spot in grade 4 social studies (85.07% in 2025-26), though its rank fell from the 96th percentile in 2023-24. Sauk Trail Elementary ranks lowest (469th, 55th percentile, 3 stars) and has the highest free/reduced-price lunch rate (41.94%), highest absenteeism (12.2%), highest per-student spending ($21,050), and lowest student-teacher ratio (9.1), a pattern that likely reflects higher student needs and targeted staffing rather than a simple verdict on spending.

Across the district, 2025-26 proficiency is strong: 29 of 30 school-level scores were at or above state averages, with the only exception being Sauk Trail Elementary’s grade 3 ELA score of 47.76% versus the state’s 52.08%. Social studies is the strongest subject everywhere, with all grade 4 scores above the state average of 65.51%, ranging from 71.43% to 85.56%. Average proficiency changes from 2024-25 to 2025-26 were mixed: Sunset Ridge Elementary improved by 2.0 points and Northside Elementary by 0.2 points, while Pope Farm Elementary slipped 3.0 points and Elm Lawn Elementary 4.6 points; Pope Farm Elementary remains elite. All five schools have chronic absenteeism below the district rate of 15.4% and state rate of 17.3%, from 6.3% to 12.2%.