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McKinley Elementary

Q: Is McKinley Elementary a good school?

McKinley Elementary ranks 733 rd of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

733^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

McKinley Elementary is a PK–5 school in the Appleton Area School District, located at 1125 E Taft Ave in Appleton, Wisconsin, enrolling 380 students — the largest of the nearby Appleton elementaries in this comparison.

Academically, McKinley ranks 733rd of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools (29th percentile, 1 star), below its own district. Average proficiency across the eight Forward Exam tests shown is about 46.5%, versus roughly 52.2% for the district and 54.7% for the state. English language arts is the widest gap: the 3rd–5th grade ELA average is about 40.7%, compared with 51.3% district and 53.2% state. Math averages about 45.2%, versus 49.5% and 53.1%. Social studies is a bright spot at 66.7% — essentially matching the district and beating the state — while science trails at 47.9%. Attendance is a clear strength: chronic absenteeism is 8.1%, far below the district's 15.7% and the state's 17.3%, down from 18.5% in 2021–22. Strong attendance alongside below-average proficiency suggests attendance is not the main barrier here.

Among nearby schools, Fox River Academy (91st percentile, 5 stars), Berry Elementary (55th), Richmond Elementary (39th), and Appleton Bilingual School (33rd) rank higher, while Johnston Elementary (30th), Horizons Elementary (29th), and Edison Elementary (28th) are roughly comparable, and Stephen Foster Elementary Charter (24th) and Jefferson Elementary (20th) rank lower. McKinley's free/reduced lunch rate is 49.47%, similar to Richmond and Edison, yet Richmond achieves more — poverty alone does not explain the pattern. Per-student spending is $16,692 with a student-teacher ratio of 11.9, mid-range for the group. Subgroup results are uneven: special education students rank at the 51st percentile and low-income students improved to the 35th, while English learners remain at the 24th. The school improved from 794th to 733rd in 2025–26, but still earned only 1 star.

380

Students ?

11.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,692

Per pupil spending ?

49.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

89%

Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements (2025-26)

1125 E Taft Ave
Appleton, WI 54915-2561

(920) 852-5510

District: Appleton Area School District

Students who attend McKinley Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Madison Middle
High:	East High

Racial breakdown:

White:

49.7%

Hispanic:

21.1%

Asian:

18.4%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare McKinley Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 45th percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (46% vs 55% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 16 percentile points since 2016

!English Language Arts scores 13 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school46%

District avg52%

Wisconsin avg55%

733^rd of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 16 pts since 2016

From bottom 45% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^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	38.4	733 of 1039	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	32.1	794 of 1044	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.5	744 of 1061	29.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.4	679 of 1067	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	765 of 1067	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.9	781 of 1050	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.4	773 of 1037	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.5	786 of 1025	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	38.4	737 of 1071	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2016	50.1	589 of 1075	45.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	37.9	798 of 1076	25.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	37.2	804 of 1061	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	27.4	879 of 1053	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.4	830 of 1045	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	31.5	868 of 1046	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	34.8	814 of 1045	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	40.6	766 of 1030	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.9	872 of 1021	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.9	554 of 689	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	27.3	586 of 712	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	37.8	467 of 633	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	84 of 121	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.9	91 of 116	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	84 of 123	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.9	57 of 116	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.4	60 of 110	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.5	51 of 106	51.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	32.3	73 of 122	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.9	61 of 107	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	31.8	187 of 245	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.0	244 of 255	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.3	200 of 269	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	55.3	82 of 249	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	53.3	93 of 248	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	56.5	65 of 222	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	57.3	89 of 275	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.7	177 of 287	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	29.7	766 of 986	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.8	721 of 1001	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.9	739 of 1011	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.8	643 of 1010	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.6	721 of 1017	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.1	707 of 1004	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.2	696 of 1002	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.4	699 of 997	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	40.0	208 of 347	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.8	254 of 322	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.1	213 of 331	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.6	218 of 290	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.2	219 of 296	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.8	197 of 274	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	42.6	144 of 266	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.1	194 of 271	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	39.6	552 of 848	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.5	700 of 870	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.6	684 of 866	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.9	538 of 871	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.7	561 of 859	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.9	584 of 847	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.3	714 of 874	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.2	690 of 854	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	47.7	602 of 989	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.1	775 of 1000	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.7	655 of 1012	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.3	637 of 1011	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.8	730 of 1017	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.1	749 of 1003	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.2	788 of 1002	21.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.1	795 of 997	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	45.8	48 of 96	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	48.9	384 of 791	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.0	280 of 802	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.4	319 of 790	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.0	494 of 770	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	49.9	327 of 748	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	41.8	427 of 746	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.7	461 of 742	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.6	531 of 721	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	37.1	484 of 697	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	36.4	498 of 718	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.6	485 of 727	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.5	506 of 715	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.2	551 of 704	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.2	533 of 699	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.8	590 of 718	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.1	518 of 686	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)51st percentile+22 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)50th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)40th percentile+11 vs school

Male (2026)39th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile+5 vs school

Asian (2026)31st percentile~ school

White (2026)31st percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2026)24th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2026)22nd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies67%~ state avg

Science48%-6 vs state

Mathematics45%-8 vs state

English Language Arts40%-13 vs state

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Schools Near McKinley 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 Vaccination 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)	Vaccination (2025-26)		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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
McKinley Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1125 E Taft Ave	Appleton	54915	Calumet 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	89%		$16,692	$609	$16,083
Horizons Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2101 Schaefer Cir	Appleton	54915	Calumet 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	81%		$20,194	$609	$19,586
Berry Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3601 S Telulah Ave	Appleton	54915	Calumet 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	≥ 95%		$17,105	$609	$16,496
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	91%		$18,249	$609	$17,640
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	77%		$16,605	$609	$15,996
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	91%
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	83%		$18,681	$609	$18,073
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	94%		$18,706	$609	$18,098
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	94%		$10,807	$609	$10,198
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	76%		$20,549	$609	$19,940

Frequently Asked Questions about McKinley Elementary

What schools do graduates of McKinley Elementary attend?

Students who attend McKinley Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Madison Middle
High : East High

How many students attend McKinley Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 380 students attended McKinley Elementary.

Is McKinley Elementary a good school?

McKinley Elementary ranks 733^rd of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is McKinley Elementary in?

Appleton Area School District

What is the racial makeup of McKinley Elementary?

Students at McKinley Elementary are 50% White, 21% Hispanic, 18% Asian, 6% Two or more races, 4% African American.

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2018–19 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 20, 2026

2016–17 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

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

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.