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Willow River Elementary

Q: Is Willow River Elementary a good school?

Willow River Elementary ranks 171 st of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

171^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 84% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Willow River Elementary is a PK–5 school in Hudson, Wisconsin, serving 278 students within the Hudson School District, a highly ranked district in the 91st percentile statewide. In 2025–2026, Willow River ranked 171st of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools — the 84th percentile with 4 stars — a solid statewide position that places it in the middle of Hudson's elementary schools. It trails Houlton Elementary, North Hudson Elementary, Hudson Prairie Elementary, and River Crest Elementary, but outranks Rock Elementary. Among the broader nearby set, it also ranks above Greenwood Elementary, Saint Croix Central Elementary, Somerset Elementary, Westside Elementary, and River Falls Public Montessori Academy.

Two features stand out. First, attendance: chronic absenteeism was 4.7% in 2024–2025, far below the district's 11.9% and the state's 17.3%, and a dramatic improvement from 20.1% in 2021–2022. Second, resources: Willow River's per-student spending of $19,891 is the highest among the nearby schools listed, and its student–teacher ratio of 11.5 is among the lowest. Its free/reduced-lunch rate of 12.95% is lower than most nearby schools.

Academically, Willow River scored above the state on all eight reported 2025–2026 tests, and above the district in 4th-grade ELA and 4th-grade science. Its clearest gap versus the district is 4th-grade social studies: 71.43% proficient versus the district's 84.23%, though still above the state's 65.51%. Math in grades 3 and 5 also trails the district. Subgroup results are a strength — low-income students ranked in the 91st percentile, special education students in the 86th, and female students in the 90th. With only 278 students, year-to-year swings should be read cautiously, since they reflect different cohorts.

278

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,891

Per pupil spending ?

12.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1118 4th St
Hudson, WI 54016-1255

(715) 377-3880

District: Hudson School District

Students who attend Willow River Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Hudson Middle
High:	Hudson High

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.9%

Two or more races:

5.0%

Hispanic:

3.2%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Willow River Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 77th percentile in 2016 → 84th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (71% vs 55% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 16% of Wisconsin elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Hudson School District's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school71%

District avg76%

Wisconsin avg55%

171^st of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Top 16%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From top 23% (2016) to top 16% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Hudson School District

37^th of 432Hudson 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	79.4	171 of 1039	83.5%	★★★★☆
2025	75.8	223 of 1044	78.6%	★★★★☆
2024	81.1	149 of 1061	86.0%	★★★★☆
2023	81.1	146 of 1067	86.3%	★★★★☆
2022	81.3	147 of 1067	86.2%	★★★★☆
2021	83.1	119 of 1050	88.7%	★★★★☆
2019	84.4	84 of 1037	91.9%	★★★★★
2018	81.5	125 of 1025	87.8%	★★★★☆
2017	69.2	313 of 1071	70.8%	★★★★☆
2016	73.0	247 of 1075	77.0%	★★★★☆
2015	78.3	147 of 1076	86.3%	★★★★☆
2014	79.6	132 of 1061	87.6%	★★★★☆
2013	84.7	57 of 1053	94.6%	★★★★★
2012	62.1	440 of 1045	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	60.4	471 of 1046	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.7	417 of 1045	60.1%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.4	358 of 1030	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	57.0	530 of 1021	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	65.6	285 of 689	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2006	72.7	197 of 712	72.3%	★★★★☆
2005	63.4	290 of 632	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2004	58.2	333 of 633	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	83.2	94 of 986	90.5%	★★★★★
2025	81.1	119 of 1001	88.1%	★★★★☆
2024	85.5	67 of 1011	93.4%	★★★★★
2023	79.6	144 of 1010	85.7%	★★★★☆
2022	81.9	117 of 1017	88.5%	★★★★☆
2021	84.9	93 of 1004	90.7%	★★★★★
2019	87.3	48 of 1002	95.2%	★★★★★
2018	87.1	48 of 997	95.2%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	79.9	80 of 848	90.6%	★★★★★
2025	65.8	231 of 870	73.4%	★★★★☆
2024	69.7	185 of 866	78.6%	★★★★☆
2023	46.0	490 of 871	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.0	558 of 859	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	49.3	421 of 847	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	67.2	210 of 874	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	63.8	228 of 854	73.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	73.7	236 of 989	76.1%	★★★★☆
2025	67.9	326 of 1000	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	74.8	222 of 1012	78.1%	★★★★☆
2023	80.2	141 of 1011	86.1%	★★★★☆
2022	78.7	168 of 1017	83.5%	★★★★☆
2021	78.1	155 of 1003	84.5%	★★★★☆
2019	77.8	158 of 1002	84.2%	★★★★☆
2018	72.2	231 of 997	76.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	76.8	112 of 791	85.8%	★★★★☆
2025	53.3	330 of 802	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.9	236 of 790	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	64.2	211 of 770	72.6%	★★★★☆
2022	72.8	127 of 748	83.0%	★★★★☆
2021	62.7	193 of 746	74.1%	★★★★☆
2019	89.1	27 of 742	96.4%	★★★★★
2018	78.6	77 of 721	89.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	62.0	275 of 718	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	85.2	54 of 715	92.4%	★★★★★
2022	66.9	199 of 704	71.7%	★★★★☆
2019	80.0	96 of 718	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	89.4	32 of 686	95.3%	★★★★★

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)91st percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)90th percentile+7 vs school

Special Education (2026)86th percentile~ school

Male (2026)76th percentile-7 vs school

White (2025)62nd percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Science79%+25 vs state

Social Studies71%+6 vs state

English Language Arts71%+17 vs state

Mathematics70%+17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Willow River 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 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)	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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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 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
Willow River Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1118 4th St	Hudson	54016	St. Croix County	Hudson School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 377-3880	278	24	11.5	12.9%	250 (89.9%)	3 (1.1%)	9 (3.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.0%)	79.4	171^st of 1039 public elementary schools	83.5%		75.8	223^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	78.6%	52	66.0	78.6	68.8	59.6	78.6	71.9	71.4	78.6	$19,891	$526	$19,365
North Hudson Elementary	Public	K-5	510 Lemon St N	Hudson	54016	St. Croix County	Hudson School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 377-3870	276	22	12.7	14.9%	238 (86.2%)	6 (2.2%)	9 (3.3%)	10 (3.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.3%)	91.9	21^st of 1039 public elementary schools	98.0%		85.5	85^th of 1044 public elementary schools	91.9%	64	78.1	97.6	73.8	75.6	95.1	78.6	95.1	87.8	$17,211	$210	$17,000
Rock Elementary	Public	K-5	340 13th St S	Hudson	54016	St. Croix County	Hudson School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 377-3840	383	29	13.1	21.7%	320 (83.6%)	4 (1.0%)	29 (7.6%)	12 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.7%)	73.2	265^th of 1039 public elementary schools	74.5%		53.5	546^th of 1044 public elementary schools	47.7%	281	62.7	67.9	60.0	58.2	80.4	70.0	78.6	60.7	$15,273	$685	$14,588
Hudson Prairie Elementary	Public	K-5	1400 Carmichael Rd	Hudson	54016	St. Croix County	Hudson School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 377-3860	481	32	14.8	10.0%	421 (87.5%)	7 (1.5%)	18 (3.7%)	11 (2.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (4.6%)	86	82^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	92.1%		83.4	120^th of 1044 public elementary schools	88.5%	38	70.0	74.7	77.1	73.8	80.7	80.0	85.5	72.3	$14,565	$199	$14,365
River Crest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	535 County Road F	Hudson	54016	St. Croix County	Hudson School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 377-3890	366	32	11.4	18.0%	298 (81.4%)	5 (1.4%)	36 (9.8%)	12 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (3.8%)	83.1	115^th of 1039 public elementary schools	88.9%		75.5	227^th of 1044 public elementary schools	78.3%	112	71.2	73.9	64.8	65.4	78.5	77.8	86.2	73.9	$19,307	$783	$18,523
Houlton Elementary	Public	K-5	70 Houlton School Circle	Houlton	54082	St. Croix County	Hudson School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 377-3850	217	18	12.2	8.8%	203 (93.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.8%)	94.2	8^th of 1039 public elementary schools	99.2%		89.5	36^th of 1044 public elementary schools	96.6%	28	88.9	86.7	77.3	88.9	96.7	88.6	90.0	90.0	$17,040	$252	$16,787
Somerset Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	635 Sunrise Dr	Somerset	54025	St. Croix County	Somerset School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 247-3311	577	36	16.0	23.2%	506 (87.7%)	4 (0.7%)	25 (4.3%)	12 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (5.2%)	69.8	313^th of 1039 public elementary schools	69.9%		70.2	313^th of 1044 public elementary schools	70.0%		63.8	63.6		63.8	60.6		73.7	64.7	$13,330	$498	$12,832
Saint Croix Central Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	202 S Division St	Roberts	54023	St. Croix County	Saint Croix Central School District	No	No	No	Yes	(715) 749-3119	629	48	13.0	23.2%	548 (87.1%)	1 (0.2%)	41 (6.5%)	13 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (4.1%)	72	286^th of 1039 public elementary schools	72.5%		70.4	311^th of 1044 public elementary schools	70.2%	25	54.2	65.6		63.6	67.2		78.2	70.6	$14,738	$207	$14,531
Westside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1007 W Pine St	River Falls	54022	Pierce County	River Falls School District	No	No	No	No	(715) 425-1815	403	27	15.0	18.1%	358 (88.8%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (5.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (4.2%)	66	373^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	64.1%		77.2	205^th of 1044 public elementary schools	80.4%	168	56.1	60.6	65.2	60.6	63.6	75.8	66.7	51.5	$14,196	$696	$13,500
River Falls Public Montessori Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	421 W Maple St	River Falls	54022	Pierce County	River Falls School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(715) 425-7645	189	11	17.7	16.9%	166 (87.8%)	1 (0.5%)	4 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (9.5%)	54.2	544^th of 1039 public elementary schools	47.6%		57.2	498^th of 1044 public elementary schools	52.3%	46	63.3	56.5	70.0	40.0	43.5	46.7	69.6	47.8	$12,118	$121	$11,997

Frequently Asked Questions about Willow River Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Willow River Elementary?

Students at Willow River Elementary are 90% White, 5% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic, 1% African American.

How many students attend Willow River Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 278 students attended Willow River Elementary.

What district is Willow River Elementary in?

Hudson School District

What schools do graduates of Willow River Elementary attend?

Students who attend Willow River Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Hudson Middle
High : Hudson High

Is Willow River Elementary a good school?

Willow River Elementary ranks 171^st of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Willow River Elementary!

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresNewOct 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.