Sherman Elementary

Sherman Elementary is a K–5 neighborhood school at 3110 W Vine St in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, serving 502 students as part of the Eau Claire Area School District — the largest elementary in its comparison group, roughly 60 students bigger than the next largest, Putnam Heights Elementary. Sherman Elementary ranks at the 55th percentile of Wisconsin elementary schools (3 stars), modestly above its own district's 48th-percentile position, and has held steady in the mid-50s to mid-60s for a decade, with a COVID-era dip and a clear three-year recovery.

Sherman's standout strength is attendance: chronic absenteeism fell from 12.1% to 4.2% in three years — about one-quarter of the district's 16.4% and the state's 17.3% rates, and second-best among eleven nearby schools behind Chippewa Valley Montessori Charter School. Because it far outpaced the district's own improvement, this looks like a school-level result rather than a district-wide tide. Sherman also runs lean, with the second-lowest per-pupil spending in the group ($15,967) and the second-largest classes (13.8 students per teacher), while its free/reduced lunch rate (36.25%) sits below the peer average.

Academically, results are split. Fourth grade is the reliable bright spot: math has beaten the district four years running, and science has climbed from 48.53 to 60.71, now above both district and state. Fifth-grade ELA (62.03) also beats both. The concern is third grade, where math (42.65) and ELA (45.59) trail district and state, continuing a three-year slide in the earliest tested grade. Low-income students rank at the 29th percentile (1 star), a gap that has widened over three years, while English learners sit in the 60s. The takeaway: excellent attendance, efficient spending, and a clear priority list — lift third grade and close the low-income gap while protecting fourth grade.