Danz Elementary

Danz Elementary is a PK–5 school at 2130 Basten St on Green Bay's east side, part of the Green Bay Area Public School District, serving 542 students, about 74% of whom come from economically disadvantaged families. In 2025–26 it ranked 964th of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools (7th percentile, 0 stars), a bottom-decile position it has held every year for a decade.

Academically, Danz's proficiency rates are roughly half the district's and far below the state's. In 4th-grade science, only 14.9% met proficiency, the largest gap to the state; 5th-grade math and ELA are also very low. Math proficiency fell sharply year-over-year. Nearby Sullivan Elementary is almost identical in size, poverty level, spending, and staffing—yet it outperforms Danz in nearly every grade and subject, despite also ranking near the bottom. Martin Elementary, with lower poverty and lower spending, posts much higher math proficiency. Leonardo da Vinci School for Gifted Learners, two miles away, is the top-ranked elementary in Wisconsin.

Danz's clearest strength is attendance. Chronic absenteeism fell from 32.5% in 2020–21 to 21.2% in 2024–25, beating the district average by more than six points. But that improvement has not yet raised test scores. The school spends $17,339 per student—above the neighborhood median—with an 11.6:1 student-teacher ratio, yet outcomes remain at the bottom. The largest challenges are persistent low performance among low-income students and students in special education, who rank in the bottom few percent statewide. For parents, Danz is a school with real operational progress on attendance but still searching for academic results.