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Badger Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

861^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Badger Elementary is a PK–5 school serving 258 students in the Appleton Area School District at 501 S Bluemound Dr in Appleton, WI, and it currently ranks 861 of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools (17th percentile, 1 star) — well below its own district's 41st percentile ranking.

On the 2025-2026 Forward Exam, about 36.6% of Badger's 3rd–5th graders scored proficient in ELA and about 31.1% in math, compared with district averages near 51% ELA and 50% math and state benchmarks around 53% in both. Fourth grade is the weakest spot: math and science were both 21.88%, and social studies was 37.5%. Among nearby schools, Badger's math average was the lowest, and its ELA average trailed Houdini Elementary (~52.9%), Franklin Elementary (~49.8%), Edison Elementary (~48.9%), Ronald C Dunlap Elementary School (~43.3%), Jefferson Elementary (~41.4%), Stephen Foster Elementary Charter (~40.7%), Appleton Bilingual School (~40.2%), and Gegan Elementary (~44.2%, grades 3–4), which is in the Menasha Joint School District. Only Highlands Elementary (~30.7%) scored lower in ELA, and Badger's statewide rank is tied with Highlands for the lowest nearby, while Fox River Academy sits at the 91st percentile.

Context matters: 69.38% of Badger students qualified for free/reduced lunch in 2024-2025, up from 57.54% two years earlier, yet nearby schools serving similar poverty levels generally rank and score higher, so poverty is a real headwind but not a full explanation. Chronic absenteeism improved to 15.3%, now better than the district (15.7%) and state (17.3%). English learners are a genuine bright spot at the 63rd percentile statewide (3 stars), while other subgroups, including low-income and special education students, rank in the teens and 20s. With a low 9.6 student-teacher ratio and $16,860 per-student spending, resources don't appear to be the missing piece.

258

Students ?

9.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,860

Per pupil spending ?

69.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

501 S Bluemound Dr
Appleton, WI 54914-4134

(920) 852-5440

District: Appleton Area School District

Students who attend Badger Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Wilson Middle
High:	West High

Racial breakdown:

White:

42.6%

Hispanic:

19.8%

African American:

10.9%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Badger Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2016 → 17th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (33% vs 55% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school33%

District avg52%

Wisconsin avg55%

861^st of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▼ down 6 pts since 2016

From bottom 24% (2016) to bottom 17% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

21^st of 21Elementary Schools in the Appleton Area School District

253^rd of 432Appleton Area School District among Wisconsin districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	20.2	861 of 1039	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.5	754 of 1044	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.5	714 of 1061	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	657 of 1067	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	25.7	864 of 1067	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.1	819 of 1050	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.2	815 of 1037	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.5	815 of 1025	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.3	896 of 1071	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	30.5	822 of 1075	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	39.0	786 of 1076	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	39.3	778 of 1061	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	45.3	693 of 1053	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	43.6	772 of 1045	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	46.7	734 of 1046	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	54.0	605 of 1045	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.0	715 of 1030	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	45.2	719 of 1021	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.2	562 of 689	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	31.7	567 of 712	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	34.2	479 of 632	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	50.8	391 of 633	38.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2018	44.6	69 of 165	58.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2022	34.0	65 of 110	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.0	84 of 106	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.8	59 of 122	51.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	53.3	91 of 245	62.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	26.3	217 of 255	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	55.0	99 of 269	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	80.8	17 of 249	93.2%	★★★★★
2022	43.2	131 of 248	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	31.7	167 of 222	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.6	193 of 275	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	26.3	257 of 287	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	18.4	839 of 986	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	52.5	538 of 1001	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.4	684 of 1011	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.9	641 of 1010	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.0	827 of 1017	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.2	794 of 1004	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	30.3	769 of 1002	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.2	765 of 997	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	23.1	297 of 347	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	38.9	191 of 322	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.4	126 of 331	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	27.4	225 of 296	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	247 of 274	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.3	158 of 266	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.7	177 of 271	34.7%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	698 of 848	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	47.7	471 of 870	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	43.0	536 of 866	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	53.2	388 of 871	55.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	21.8	746 of 859	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	760 of 847	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.0	728 of 874	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	18.1	782 of 854	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	25.1	789 of 989	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.7	809 of 1000	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.5	659 of 1012	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.0	596 of 1011	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.8	790 of 1017	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.9	756 of 1003	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	785 of 1002	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.0	799 of 997	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	15.2	87 of 96	9.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	579 of 791	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	31.8	565 of 802	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.7	522 of 790	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	23.6	616 of 746	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.1	563 of 742	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.2	583 of 721	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	18.2	611 of 697	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.1	541 of 718	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.0	453 of 727	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	43.8	438 of 715	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.4	564 of 704	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	37.6	479 of 699	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	25.7	598 of 718	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.3	470 of 686	31.5%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2026)63rd percentile+46 vs school

African American (2018)58th percentile+38 vs school

Asian (2022)41st percentile+22 vs school

Special Education (2026)27th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)20th percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)18th percentile~ school

Female (2026)15th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)14th percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)12th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)9th percentile-29 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies38%-28 vs state

English Language Arts37%-16 vs state

Mathematics32%-21 vs state

Science22%-32 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Friday, March 11, 2016

It's easy to tell that there is something special about Badger Elementary the minute you walk in the front door. There is a real family atmosphere and the teachers care so deeply for their students, community and each other. The SAGE program in grades K-3 guarantee a small class size and scores of enrichment opportunities await your 4-6 grade student, including Gifted and Talented programs, Stock Market Club, Stage Musical, Service Club, Sports Intramurals, Choir/Band/Strings and so much more. You will find staff members at school early, staying late and everything in between to best serve the students. This small school has big heart. Close Quote

Schools Near Badger Elementary

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)					Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)					Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)	Forward Exam Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Badger Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	501 S Bluemound Dr	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5440	258	27	9.6	69.4%	110 (42.6%)	28 (10.9%)	51 (19.8%)	25 (9.7%)	5 (1.9%)	13 (5.0%)	26 (10.1%)	20.2	861^st of 1039 public elementary schools	17.1%		36.5	754^th of 1044 public elementary schools	27.8%	107	38.6	31.3	40.0			36.4	21.9	35.0			37.5	21.9	$16,860	$609	$16,252
Jefferson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 S Mason St	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5500	212	23	9.3	65.6%	98 (46.2%)	24 (11.3%)	35 (16.5%)	16 (7.5%)	5 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (16.0%)	25.1	835^th of 1039 public elementary schools	19.6%		37.5	752^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	28.0%	83	34.3	33.3	56.7			34.3	22.2	56.7			42.2	26.7	$20,549	$609	$19,940
Fox River Academy	Public, Charter	K-8	1000 S Mason St	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	Yes	No	No	No	(920) 852-5500	150	8	17.8	23.3%	119 (79.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (8.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (12.7%)	84.5	96^th of 1039 public elementary schools	90.8%		80.8	148^th of 1044 public elementary schools	85.8%	52	95.5	90.0	60.0	81.8	66.7	68.2	70.0	60.0	90.9	55.6	90.0	80.0	$10,807	$609	$10,198
Ronald C Dunlap Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1000 N Mason St	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5455	314	31	10.0	65.6%	131 (41.7%)	33 (10.5%)	46 (14.6%)	58 (18.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (14.0%)	31.1	792^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	23.8%		35.4	768^th of 1044 public elementary schools	26.4%	24	40.7	42.1	47.1			51.9	22.8	39.2			54.4	33.3	$18,702	$609	$18,093
Highlands Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2037 N Elinor St	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5480	417	42	10.0	60.4%	171 (41.0%)	21 (5.0%)	67 (16.1%)	120 (28.8%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	34 (8.2%)	20.3	860^th of 1039 public elementary schools	17.2%		15.3	903^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	13.5%	43	31.0	36.8	24.3			39.7	25.0	32.9			48.5	36.8	$21,507	$609	$20,899
Stephen Foster Elementary Charter	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	305 W Foster St	Appleton	54915	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5470	200	21	9.5	64.5%	123 (61.5%)	8 (4.0%)	17 (8.5%)	35 (17.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (8.0%)	32	786^th of 1039 public elementary schools	24.4%		43	682^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	34.7%	104	26.9	40.9	54.3			50.0	27.3	40.0			54.6	27.3	$18,249	$609	$17,640
Houdini Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2305 W Capitol Dr	Appleton	54914	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 852-5490	501	36	13.8	34.1%	323 (64.5%)	14 (2.8%)	58 (11.6%)	58 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	44 (8.8%)	53.4	551^st of 1039 public elementary schools	47.0%		51.6	569^th of 1044 public elementary schools	45.5%	18	48.2	51.4	59.0			45.7	48.7	51.8			79.7	52.7	$14,468	$609	$13,859
Gegan Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	675 W Airport Rd	Menasha	54952	Winnebago County	Menasha Joint School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 967-1360	258	27	9.6	70.5%	120 (46.5%)	45 (17.4%)	43 (16.7%)	13 (5.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (13.6%)	30.6	794^th of 1039 public elementary schools	23.6%		24.7	841^st of 1044 public elementary schools	19.4%	47	40.0	48.4				40.0	38.7				54.8	32.3	$20,265	$951	$19,314
Appleton Bilingual School	Public, Charter	K-5	2224 N Ullman St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5495	139	8	16.4	39.6%	37 (26.6%)	2 (1.4%)	94 (67.6%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.9%)	42.1	696^th of 1039 public elementary schools	33.0%		42.3	694^th of 1044 public elementary schools	33.5%	2	50.0	42.9	27.8			70.0	52.4	16.7			66.7	47.6	$14,172	$609	$13,564
Edison Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	412 N Meade St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5460	242	24	10.0	50.4%	165 (68.2%)	13 (5.4%)	29 (12.0%)	12 (5.0%)	6 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (7.0%)	36.9	747^th of 1039 public elementary schools	28.1%		41.4	708^th of 1044 public elementary schools	32.2%	39	53.7	46.9	46.2			39.0	37.5	32.7			62.5	43.8	$18,706	$609	$18,098

Frequently Asked Questions about Badger Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Badger Elementary?

Students at Badger Elementary are 43% White, 20% Hispanic, 11% African American, 10% Two or more races, 10% Asian, 5% Pacific Islander, 2% American Indian.

How many students attend Badger Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 258 students attended Badger Elementary.

What district is Badger Elementary in?

Appleton Area School District

What schools do graduates of Badger Elementary attend?

Students who attend Badger Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wilson Middle
High : West High

Is Badger Elementary a good school?

Badger Elementary ranks in the bottom 17.1% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

Rate Badger Elementary!

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresNewOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 ACT & Forward Exam scoresSep 25, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.