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Johnston Elementary

Q: Is Johnston Elementary a good school?

Johnston Elementary ranks 728 th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

728^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Johnston Elementary is a PK–5 school at 2725 E Forest St on Appleton's east side, serving 286 students in the Appleton Area School District. It serves a heavily low-income population — 57.69% economically disadvantaged, the highest among comparable Appleton elementaries — and ranks 728th of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools (30th percentile, 2 stars), just below its district's 41st percentile. The trend is encouraging: after never exceeding 1 star from 2015-16 through 2023-24, the school has now earned two straight 2-star years, its best stretch in the decade of data available. Class size is small, at an 11:1 student-teacher ratio.

Attendance is Johnston's standout strength. Chronic absenteeism is 5.9% — less than half the district rate (15.7%) and the state rate (17.3%), and lower than wealthier nearby schools such as Berry Elementary (7.1%) and McKinley Elementary (8.1%). Achievement, though, sits below district and state in most core subjects, with ELA averaging 42.3% and math 43.8% across grades 3–5. Fourth grade is a genuine bright spot: math (52.63%) beats the district, science (50.00%) is the highest among Appleton peer schools, and social studies (65.79%) is near the state average. The weakest results are 3rd grade ELA and 5th grade math, each at 36.36%.

The school's most durable strengths appear among students with disabilities (61st percentile or better for three straight years) and English learners, who reached the 80th percentile (4 stars) in 2024-25 before settling near the median this year. Results broadly match demographically similar neighbors — Horizons Elementary and McKinley Elementary rank 734th and 733rd. The sharpest contrast is Westside Elementary, 1.38 miles away in the Kimberly Area School District: 74th percentile with 4 stars, while spending roughly $5,800 less per student. Meanwhile Berry Elementary and Huntley Elementary rank higher but have been sliding. Bottom line: a small, improving, high-poverty school with exceptional attendance and real subgroup strengths, where early-grade literacy remains the clearest opportunity.

286

Students ?

11.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,681

Per pupil spending ?

57.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2725 E Forest St
Appleton, WI 54915-3399

(920) 852-5505

District: Appleton Area School District

Students who attend Johnston Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Madison Middle
High:	East High

Racial breakdown:

White:

46.5%

Asian:

24.5%

Two or more races:

10.8%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Johnston Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 29th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (47% vs 55% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts scores 11 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school47%

District avg52%

Wisconsin avg55%

728^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 1 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

12^th 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	39.5	728 of 1039	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	43.8	670 of 1044	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.9	773 of 1061	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.4	844 of 1067	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.7	778 of 1067	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.6	842 of 1050	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.2	886 of 1037	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.7	842 of 1025	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	24.6	875 of 1071	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	36.4	768 of 1075	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	47.2	671 of 1076	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	40.6	756 of 1061	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	45.0	700 of 1053	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	34.0	851 of 1045	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	47.4	716 of 1046	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2010	45.0	729 of 1045	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	47.5	674 of 1030	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	46.8	691 of 1021	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	24.5	582 of 689	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	55.0	417 of 712	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	51.8	388 of 632	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2004	54.7	366 of 633	42.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2019	31.0	110 of 161	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	44.2	71 of 165	57.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	57.9	51 of 121	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2025	56.4	47 of 116	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	37.3	71 of 123	42.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	84 of 116	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.5	72 of 110	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	26.6	72 of 106	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	16.0	113 of 122	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	12.7	102 of 107	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	44.2	127 of 245	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	66.2	52 of 255	79.6%	★★★★☆
2024	54.1	102 of 269	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	43.0	129 of 249	48.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.8	144 of 248	41.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.6	100 of 222	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	24.3	246 of 275	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	27.9	243 of 287	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	31.9	750 of 986	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	46.9	610 of 1001	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.4	727 of 1011	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.3	807 of 1010	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.0	785 of 1017	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.4	757 of 1004	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	858 of 1002	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.8	833 of 997	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	35.3	212 of 331	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.3	226 of 290	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	40.4	163 of 296	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	37.3	170 of 274	38.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	38.9	565 of 848	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2025	48.0	465 of 870	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.9	575 of 866	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.1	672 of 871	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	655 of 859	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.7	761 of 847	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.9	831 of 874	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	792 of 854	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	46.9	611 of 989	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.1	653 of 1000	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.0	712 of 1012	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.3	749 of 1011	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	42.6	661 of 1017	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.2	831 of 1003	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	22.8	832 of 1002	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.8	781 of 997	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	31.7	81 of 113	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	56.9	306 of 791	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	60.8	252 of 802	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.7	290 of 790	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	35.9	496 of 770	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.8	581 of 748	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.5	570 of 746	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.2	360 of 742	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	50.5	331 of 721	54.1%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	33.2	518 of 697	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.8	552 of 718	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	632 of 727	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	651 of 715	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	535 of 704	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.7	578 of 699	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	19.3	634 of 718	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.0	533 of 686	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)61st percentile+31 vs school

Asian (2026)58th percentile+28 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)48th percentile+18 vs school

Male (2026)38th percentile+8 vs school

Hispanic (2024)36th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)33rd percentile+3 vs school

African American (2019)32nd percentile+17 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)28th percentile-8 vs school

White (2026)26th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)24th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies66%~ state avg

Science50%-3 vs state

Mathematics43%-10 vs state

English Language Arts43%-11 vs state

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, October 26, 2017

Great staff. Wonderful programs. Close Quote

Schools Near Johnston 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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th 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
Johnston Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2725 E Forest St	Appleton	54915	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5505	286	26	11.0	57.7%	133 (46.5%)	22 (7.7%)	28 (9.8%)	70 (24.5%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (10.8%)	39.5	728^th of 1039 public elementary schools	29.9%		43.8	670^th of 1044 public elementary schools	35.8%	58	36.4	47.4	43.2	42.4	52.6	36.4	65.8	50.0	$18,681	$609	$18,073
Hmong American Immersion School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-4	2725 E Forest St	Appleton	54915	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	Yes	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(920) 852-5505	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	25.3	834^th of 1039 public elementary schools	19.7%					(n/a)	33.3	27.3		50.0	54.6		45.5	18.2
Richmond Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1441 E John St	Appleton	54915	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5520	245	20	12.3	46.9%	147 (60.0%)	10 (4.1%)	44 (18.0%)	14 (5.7%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (10.6%)	46.8	635^th of 1039 public elementary schools	38.9%		40.6	721^st of 1044 public elementary schools	30.9%	86	71.8	41.7	51.3	59.0	45.8	46.2	60.4	39.6	$16,605	$609	$15,996
Horizons Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2101 Schaefer Cir	Appleton	54915	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5485	264	27	9.6	55.7%	129 (48.9%)	18 (6.8%)	59 (22.3%)	34 (12.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (9.1%)	38.4	734^th of 1039 public elementary schools	29.4%		52.5	557^th of 1044 public elementary schools	46.6%	177	46.8	48.2	57.1	42.6	29.6	45.7	61.1	40.7	$20,194	$609	$19,586
Westside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	746 W 3rd St	Kimberly	54136	Outagamie County	Kimberly Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 739-3578	408	32	12.9	30.6%	321 (78.7%)	9 (2.2%)	38 (9.3%)	13 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (6.4%)	73.2	267^th of 1039 public elementary schools	74.3%		71.4	291^st of 1044 public elementary schools	72.1%	24	62.5	64.4		66.7	70.1		78.2	62.1	$12,876	$614	$12,263
McKinley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1125 E Taft Ave	Appleton	54915	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(920) 852-5510	380	32	11.9	49.5%	189 (49.7%)	17 (4.5%)	80 (21.1%)	70 (18.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (5.8%)	38.4	733^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	29.5%		32.1	794^th of 1044 public elementary schools	23.9%	61	33.3	41.7	46.9	46.8	45.8	42.9	66.7	47.9	$16,692	$609	$16,083
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
Berry Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3601 S Telulah Ave	Appleton	54915	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 852-5445	368	30	12.4	22.6%	264 (71.7%)	10 (2.7%)	46 (12.5%)	17 (4.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	29 (7.9%)	58.4	468^th of 1039 public elementary schools	55.0%		68.4	340^th of 1044 public elementary schools	67.4%	128	56.4	56.4	66.1	60.0	49.1	64.4	61.8	45.5	$17,105	$609	$16,496
Huntley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2224 N Ullman St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	No	No	No	No	(920) 852-5495	570	45	12.7	33.2%	401 (70.4%)	9 (1.6%)	51 (8.9%)	63 (11.1%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (7.7%)	42.6	690^th of 1039 public elementary schools	33.6%		69	334^th of 1044 public elementary schools	68.0%	356	30.6	47.7	55.3	25.0	43.2	53.2	70.5	47.7	$15,656	$609	$15,048
The Omolade Academy	Public, Charter	K-3	2224 N Ullman St	Appleton	54911	Outagamie County	Appleton Area School District	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(920) 852-5329	23	4	6.5	73.9%	1 (4.3%)	9 (39.1%)	2 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (47.8%)								(n/a)	16.7			66.7					$20,603	$609	$19,994

Frequently Asked Questions about Johnston Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Johnston Elementary?

Students at Johnston Elementary are 47% White, 24% Asian, 11% Two or more races, 10% Hispanic, 8% African American.

What schools do graduates of Johnston Elementary attend?

Students who attend Johnston Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Madison Middle
High : East High

What district is Johnston Elementary in?

Appleton Area School District

Is Johnston Elementary a good school?

Johnston Elementary ranks 728^th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Johnston Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 286 students attended Johnston Elementary.

Rate Johnston 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.