Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Bruce Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

836^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Bruce Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in the Bruce School District in Bruce, Wisconsin. The school has 204 students and a student-teacher ratio of 9.1, but it has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Wisconsin elementary schools over the past decade, with a current statewide ranking of 836 out of 1,044 schools and a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bruce Elementary's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on the Forward Exam, is significantly below the state averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, only 25.81% of 3rd graders were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 52.14%. The school has also struggled with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 10.5% to 20.5% over the past few years, which is notably higher than the state average. Additionally, a large majority (65.69% in 2023-2024) of Bruce Elementary students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a high proportion of students from low-income families.

When compared to the nearby elementary schools, such as Birchwood Elementary and Holcombe Elementary, Bruce Elementary generally underperforms in terms of academic achievement, chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic status of the student population. However, it spends more per student than some of the other schools, suggesting potential opportunities to optimize resource allocation and target areas of greatest need to address the school's challenges and drive improvement.

199

Students ?

10.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,590

Per pupil spending ?

98%

Free/discounted lunch ?

104 W Washington Ave
Bruce, WI 54819-9641

(715) 868-2585

District: Bruce School District

Students who attend Bruce Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Bruce Middle
High:	Bruce High

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.5%

Hispanic:

4.0%

Two or more races:

3.0%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Bruce Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 21st percentile in 2015 → 20th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (37% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Mathematics scores 22 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school37%

District avg37%

Wisconsin avg54%

836^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

290^th of 426Bruce 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
2025	25.3	836 of 1044	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.3	870 of 1061	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	40.0	711 of 1067	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	32.1	798 of 1067	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	776 of 1050	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	50.4	584 of 1037	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.7	605 of 1025	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	28.3	845 of 1071	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	42.2	700 of 1075	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	30.9	854 of 1076	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	45.2	690 of 1061	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	38.3	777 of 1053	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	43.2	778 of 1045	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	38.9	816 of 1046	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	37.8	790 of 1045	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	45.7	709 of 1030	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	37.7	783 of 1021	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	43.5	495 of 689	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	19.9	611 of 712	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	21.5	527 of 632	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	22.2	530 of 633	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	704 of 1001	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.5	715 of 1011	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	57.0	472 of 1010	53.3%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.2	484 of 1017	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.1	665 of 1004	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.4	490 of 1002	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	57.3	449 of 997	55.0%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2018	65.3	68 of 271	74.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	32.9	646 of 870	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.3	738 of 866	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.5	656 of 871	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.8	461 of 874	47.3%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	18.2	848 of 1000	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	876 of 1012	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.5	760 of 1011	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	19.6	862 of 1017	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.8	789 of 1003	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	47.2	587 of 1002	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.1	658 of 997	34.0%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	15.4	728 of 802	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	607 of 790	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.9	743 of 746	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2018	67.7	183 of 686	73.3%	★★★★☆

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)

Hispanic (2018)75th percentile+34 vs school

White (2018)73rd percentile+32 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)26th percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)15th percentile-5 vs school

Special Education (2025)9th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies55%-9 vs state

Science45%-6 vs state

English Language Arts33%-19 vs state

Mathematics31%-22 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Bruce Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Bruce Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Bruce Elementary

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2025)			Forward Exam Mathematics (2025)			Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)	Forward Exam Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Bruce Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	104 W Washington Ave	Bruce	54819	Rusk County	Bruce School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 868-2585	199	19	10.3	98.0%	182 (91.5%)	1 (0.5%)	8 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.0%)	25.3	836^th of 1044 public elementary schools	19.9%		22.3	870^th of 1061 public elementary schools	18.0%	34	25.8	43.3	29.6	35.5	32.3	25.9	54.8	45.2	$14,590	$1,504	$13,086
Ladysmith Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	115 E 6th St S	Ladysmith	54848	Rusk County	Ladysmith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 532-5464	328	29	11.2	66.5%	289 (88.1%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.4%)	3 (0.9%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.1%)	20.8	871^st of 1044 public elementary schools	16.6%		26.8	838^th of 1061 public elementary schools	21.0%	33	36.6	27.7	37.7	31.7	34.0	32.1	38.3	34.0	$13,178	$1,429	$11,749
Flambeau Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	N4540 County Road I	Tony	54563	Rusk County	Flambeau School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 532-5559	188	17	11.1	71.3%	177 (94.1%)	2 (1.1%)	8 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39.9	731^st of 1044 public elementary schools	30.0%		28.2	825^th of 1061 public elementary schools	22.2%	94	47.6	35.5	37.5	38.1	41.9	66.7	64.5	41.9	$15,897	$2,331	$13,567
Holcombe Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	27331 262nd Ave	Holcombe	54745	Chippewa County	Lake Holcombe School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 595-4241	106	10	10.3	56.6%	104 (98.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25.1	838^th of 1044 public elementary schools	19.7%		26	843^rd of 1061 public elementary schools	20.5%	5	15.4	30.8	33.3	46.2	38.5	38.9	38.5	46.2	$18,477	$2,004	$16,474
Birchwood Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	300 S Wilson St	Birchwood	54817	Washburn County	Birchwood School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 354-3471	86	11	7.8	43.0%	78 (90.7%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (4.7%)	32.3	792^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	24.1%		23.6	860^th of 1061 public elementary schools	18.9%	68	35.7	50.0	42.9	28.6	18.8	14.3	62.5	56.3	$18,054	$1,446	$16,609
Birchwood Public Montessori	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	201 E Birch St	Birchwood	54817	Washburn County	Birchwood School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(715) 354-3471	25	4	6.4	48.0%	23 (92.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (8.0%)	47.1	630^th of 1044 public elementary schools	39.7%					(n/a)		44.4			33.3		55.6	77.8	$15,209	$702	$14,507

Frequently Asked Questions about Bruce Elementary

What district is Bruce Elementary in?

Bruce School District

What is the racial makeup of Bruce Elementary?

Students at Bruce Elementary are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Bruce Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 199 students attended Bruce Elementary.

Is Bruce Elementary a good school?

Bruce Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.9% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Bruce Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bruce Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bruce Middle
High : Bruce High

Rate Bruce Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

WIWisconsin Elementary School Rankings

WIWisconsin District Rankings

Schools in Bruce, WI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Bruce Elementary!

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.