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South Elementary

Public Grades 3-5
160th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools
Better than 85% of Wisconsin elementary schools
Summary

South Elementary is a 332-student public school serving grades 3–5 in Hartland, Wisconsin, part of the Hartland-Lakeside J3 School District and paired with North Elementary for PK–2 about 1.35 miles away. It sits in an unusually competitive high-performing area, and while South Elementary remains above state average, its 2025–2026 rank is 160th of 1,039 elementary schools (85th percentile, 4 stars), down from 97th percentile in 2022–2023; the district is ranked 28th of 432 statewide (94th percentile, 5 stars).

Achievement is above state average in every tested subject and grade. Fifth grade is the strongest, with ELA and math both 76.27, while 4th grade social studies was 81.9 and science rebounded to 75.86. Third grade is the clear weak point: ELA 60 and math 58.18, only slightly above state and lower than nearby tested schools including North Lake Elementary, Richmond Elementary, Meadowbrook Elementary, Horizon School, Merton Primary, Cushing Elementary, Lake Country School, and Swallow Elementary. Fourth grade generally trails those peers, and 5th grade, while competitive, still sits below top local performers like Swallow Elementary and Lake Country School.

Chronic absenteeism was 7.2% in 2024–2025, much better than Wisconsin’s 17.3% but above the district’s 5.4% and North Elementary’s 3.7%; many nearby schools are also under 5%. South serves a higher low-income share (15.36% free/reduced lunch) than most nearby high performers, with modest per-student spending ($12,977) and a favorable student-teacher ratio (13.9). Subgroup rankings are a bright spot, with strong relative outcomes for several student groups, including Hispanic students, low-income students, and students with disabilities. Bottom line: strengths are 5th grade, science/social studies, resource efficiency, and subgroup results; watch 3rd grade achievement and absenteeism.

332
Students ?
13.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$12,977
Per pupil spending ?
15.4%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
 651 E Imperial Dr
       Hartland, WI  53029-2615

(262) 369-6720

District: Hartland-Lakeside J3 School District


Students who attend South Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    North Shore Middle
High:    Arrowhead High
Racial breakdown:

White:
86.1%
Hispanic:
5.4%
Two or more races:
4.2%
more
 See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

 Compare South Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 88th percentile in 2016 → 85th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (72% vs 55% meeting standards)
✓Ranks in the top 15% of Wisconsin elementary schools
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school72%
District avg72%
Wisconsin avg55%
160th of 1,039
Wisconsin public elementary schools ?
Top 15%▼ down 3 pts since 2016
From top 12% (2016) to top 15% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
28th of 432Hartland-Lakeside J3 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202679.8160 of 103984.6%★★★★☆
202581.6139 of 104486.7%★★★★☆
202483.9105 of 106190.1%★★★★★
202391.037 of 106796.5%★★★★★
202288.656 of 106794.8%★★★★★
202189.457 of 105094.6%★★★★★
201987.654 of 103794.8%★★★★★
201888.154 of 102594.7%★★★★★
201786.777 of 107192.8%★★★★★
201682.3133 of 107587.6%★★★★☆
201575.7186 of 107682.7%★★★★☆
201462.1403 of 106162.0%★★★☆☆
201372.6213 of 105379.8%★★★★☆
201274.0184 of 104582.4%★★★★☆
201168.1299 of 104671.4%★★★★☆
201071.8241 of 104576.9%★★★★☆
200979.5110 of 103089.3%★★★★☆
200869.3291 of 102171.5%★★★★☆
200777.4126 of 68981.7%★★★★☆
200677.9126 of 71282.3%★★★★☆
200579.979 of 63287.5%★★★★☆
200477.1125 of 63380.3%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202679.9141 of 98685.7%★★★★☆
202581.9105 of 100189.5%★★★★☆
202482.690 of 101191.1%★★★★★
202388.646 of 101095.4%★★★★★
202288.355 of 101794.6%★★★★★
202189.745 of 100495.5%★★★★★
201986.850 of 100295.0%★★★★★
201888.435 of 99796.5%★★★★★

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202688.426 of 34792.5%★★★★★
202361.790 of 29069.0%★★★☆☆
202287.426 of 29691.2%★★★★★
202193.611 of 27496.0%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202672.8142 of 84883.3%★★★★☆
202568.0202 of 87076.8%★★★★☆
202475.0129 of 86685.1%★★★★☆
202388.234 of 87196.1%★★★★★
202284.049 of 85994.3%★★★★★
202183.646 of 84794.6%★★★★★
201981.864 of 87492.7%★★★★★
201888.727 of 85496.8%★★★★★

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202676.7190 of 98980.8%★★★★☆
202578.1179 of 100082.1%★★★★☆
202482.9110 of 101289.1%★★★★☆
202391.024 of 101197.6%★★★★★
202285.977 of 101792.4%★★★★★
202184.981 of 100391.9%★★★★★
201986.265 of 100293.5%★★★★★
201884.390 of 99791.0%★★★★★

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202480.716 of 11986.6%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202671.3158 of 79180.0%★★★★☆
202565.7208 of 80274.1%★★★★☆
202479.0100 of 79087.3%★★★★☆
202389.630 of 77096.1%★★★★★
202292.022 of 74897.1%★★★★★
202181.958 of 74692.2%★★★★★
201973.7118 of 74284.1%★★★★☆
201867.3153 of 72178.8%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202671.5175 of 69774.9%★★★★☆
202574.6157 of 71878.1%★★★★☆
202478.5113 of 72784.5%★★★★☆
202388.236 of 71595.0%★★★★★
202284.656 of 70492.0%★★★★★
202185.949 of 69993.0%★★★★★
201980.691 of 71887.3%★★★★☆
201882.674 of 68689.2%★★★★☆
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 (2026)93rd percentile+8 vs school
Multi-racial (2024)87th percentile-4 vs school
Female (2026)86th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)83rd percentile~ school
Male (2026)81st percentile-4 vs school
Special Education (2026)80th percentile-5 vs school
White (2026)75th percentile-10 vs school
By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?
Social Studies82%+16 vs state
Science76%+22 vs state
Mathematics70%+17 vs state
English Language Arts69%+16 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about South Elementary

Students who attend South Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : North Shore Middle
High : Arrowhead High

South Elementary ranks 160th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at South Elementary are 86% White, 5% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% African American.

In the 2024-25 school year, 332 students attended South Elementary.

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »
2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 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.

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