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Spence Elementary

Q: Is Spence Elementary a good school?

Spence Elementary ranks 259 th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

259^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 75% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Spence Elementary is a PK–5 school at 2150 Bennett St in La Crosse, WI, serving 329 students in the La Crosse School District. It is one of the larger elementary schools in its district group, similar in size to Southern Bluffs Elementary and Emerson Elementary. A key point for families: Spence ranks 259th of 1,039 Wisconsin schools in 2025–2026 (75th percentile, 4 stars), while the district overall sits at the 32nd percentile with 2 stars. Spence has climbed steadily, from the 41st percentile in 2020–2021 to 75th now—not a one-year jump.

Spence's Forward Exam proficiency is mostly above district and state averages. Fourth-grade social studies reached 90%, third-grade English/language arts 78.26%, fourth-grade ELA 72.50%, and fourth-grade math 70%. Fifth-grade results are closer to state averages but still above district averages. Among nearby same-district schools, Spence has the highest third-grade ELA, fourth-grade math, and fourth-grade social studies rates. This matters because 54.71% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch—roughly double the rate at School of Technology and Arts I (23.08%)—yet Spence still performs in a similar high tier. Supports for higher-need students look effective: English Language Learner students ranked in the 96th percentile statewide in 2023–2024, special education students in the 85th percentile in 2025–2026, and low-income students in the 71st percentile in 2024–2025 and 2025–2026.

Chronic absenteeism was 14.1% in 2024–2025, better than the district's 19.6% and the state's 17.3%, though State Road Elementary, Emerson, and Southern Bluffs had lower rates. Spence spent $17,754 per student with a student-teacher ratio of 11.6—moderate locally. Notably, Northside Elementary, Hamilton Elementary School, and Hintgen Elementary spend more per student and rank lower. One caution: fifth-grade results dipped in 2024–2025 before rebounding, which likely reflects different grade cohorts but is worth watching.

329

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,754

Per pupil spending ?

54.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2150 Bennett St
La Crosse, WI 54601-6673

(608) 789-7773

District: La Crosse School District

Students who attend Spence Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Longfellow Middle
High:	Central High

Racial breakdown:

White:

61.1%

Asian:

16.4%

Two or more races:

11.6%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 53rd percentile in 2016 → 75th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (68% vs 55% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 25% of Wisconsin elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg51%

Wisconsin avg55%

259^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Top 25%▲ up 23 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to top 25% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 11Elementary Schools in the La Crosse School District

294^th of 432La Crosse 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	73.6	259 of 1039	75.1%	★★★★☆
2025	65.4	375 of 1044	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.5	482 of 1061	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	55.0	536 of 1067	49.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.5	429 of 1067	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.7	618 of 1050	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.7	505 of 1037	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.5	538 of 1025	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	50.3	584 of 1071	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	55.2	510 of 1075	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	58.2	515 of 1076	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	57.0	487 of 1061	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2013	48.8	630 of 1053	40.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	44.9	755 of 1045	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.3	880 of 1046	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	43.5	745 of 1045	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	38.9	789 of 1030	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	34.3	816 of 1021	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	51.1	426 of 689	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	52.8	436 of 712	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	59.4	48 of 121	60.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.4	57 of 116	50.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.1	49 of 123	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.1	68 of 116	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	74.6	31 of 110	71.8%	★★★★☆
2019	43.7	57 of 122	53.3%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	92.2	10 of 269	96.3%	★★★★★
2019	68.1	54 of 275	80.4%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	69.7	284 of 986	71.2%	★★★★☆
2025	67.9	321 of 1001	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.3	353 of 1011	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.0	424 of 1010	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.6	296 of 1017	70.9%	★★★★☆
2021	60.8	403 of 1004	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	52.1	536 of 1002	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	53.6	497 of 997	50.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	63.2	248 of 848	70.8%	★★★★☆
2025	64.0	250 of 870	71.3%	★★★★☆
2024	58.9	332 of 866	61.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.7	438 of 871	49.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	61.2	287 of 859	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.9	508 of 847	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.7	292 of 874	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.0	251 of 854	70.6%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	73.7	237 of 989	76.0%	★★★★☆
2025	61.3	400 of 1000	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	51.7	563 of 1012	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.8	599 of 1011	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.9	549 of 1017	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.4	726 of 1003	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.2	441 of 1002	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	52.1	520 of 997	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2021	31.0	62 of 85	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.7	44 of 76	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	23.7	56 of 67	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	76.3	115 of 791	85.5%	★★★★☆
2025	75.1	125 of 802	84.4%	★★★★☆
2024	57.2	283 of 790	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2021	48.4	353 of 746	52.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.6	227 of 742	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	62.2	207 of 721	71.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	72.9	162 of 697	76.8%	★★★★☆
2025	65.9	239 of 718	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.6	383 of 727	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	50.9	373 of 715	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	59.1	279 of 704	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	46.2	390 of 699	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	49.4	378 of 718	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.3	396 of 686	42.3%	★★☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2024)96th percentile+42 vs school

Special Education (2026)85th percentile+10 vs school

White (2026)77th percentile~ school

Male (2026)76th percentile~ school

Female (2026)71st percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)71st percentile-4 vs school

Asian (2026)60th percentile-15 vs school

Multi-racial (2021)27th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies90%+24 vs state

Science70%+17 vs state

English Language Arts68%+15 vs state

Mathematics60%+7 vs state

★

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Schools Near Spence 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
Spence Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2150 Bennett St	La Crosse	54601	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 789-7773	329	28	11.6	54.7%	201 (61.1%)	14 (4.3%)	21 (6.4%)	54 (16.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (11.6%)	73.6	259^th of 1039 public elementary schools	75.1%		65.4	375^th of 1044 public elementary schools	64.1%	116	78.3	72.5	53.5	58.7	70.0	51.2	90.0	70.0	$17,754	$1,047	$16,707
State Road Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3900 Pammel Creek Rd	La Crosse	54601	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 789-7690	284	23	12.1	38.0%	222 (78.2%)	9 (3.2%)	19 (6.7%)	6 (2.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (8.8%)	65.4	377^th of 1039 public elementary schools	63.7%		49.8	589^th of 1044 public elementary schools	43.6%	212	62.2	73.3	50.0	60.0	64.4	52.8	75.6	53.3	$16,172	$624	$15,548
Hintgen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3505 28th St S	La Crosse	54601	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 789-7767	210	28	7.6	79.0%	102 (48.6%)	25 (11.9%)	11 (5.2%)	31 (14.8%)	3 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (18.1%)	12.9	920^th of 1039 public elementary schools	11.5%		12.3	928^th of 1044 public elementary schools	11.1%	8	33.3	28.0	27.8	29.6	20.0	16.7	36.0	32.0	$22,456	$1,905	$20,550
School of Technology and Arts I	Public, Charter	K-5	1111 7th St S	La Crosse	54601	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	Yes	No	No	No	(608) 789-7695	104	7	15.6	23.1%	84 (80.8%)	2 (1.9%)	8 (7.7%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (8.7%)	78.5	188^th of 1039 public elementary schools	81.9%		73.4	262^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	74.9%	74	89.5	76.5	81.3	73.7	52.9	43.8	88.2	70.6	$15,322	$311	$15,011
Hamilton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1111 7th St S	La Crosse	54601	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 789-7695	151	20	7.5	80.1%	53 (35.1%)	35 (23.2%)	17 (11.3%)	10 (6.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (23.8%)	15.8	900^th of 1039 public elementary schools	13.4%		7.2	955^th of 1044 public elementary schools	8.5%	55	31.6	31.8	22.2	33.3	31.8	16.7	36.4	36.4	$22,945	$2,146	$20,799
Emerson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2101 Campbell Rd	La Crosse	54601	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 789-7990	317	25	12.4	26.8%	247 (77.9%)	11 (3.5%)	23 (7.3%)	16 (5.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.0%)	67.3	355^th of 1039 public elementary schools	65.8%		55.5	518^th of 1044 public elementary schools	50.4%	163	74.0	58.7	51.2	70.0	60.9	48.8	78.7	59.6	$15,886	$541	$15,345
Southern Bluffs Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4010 Sunnyside Dr	La Crosse	54601	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 789-7020	333	26	12.7	35.7%	289 (86.8%)	3 (0.9%)	9 (2.7%)	13 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (5.7%)	51.2	574^th of 1039 public elementary schools	44.8%		66.4	368^th of 1044 public elementary schools	64.8%	206	55.8	46.7	52.8	55.8	42.2	50.9	66.7	55.6	$15,696	$653	$15,042
Northside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1611 Kane St	La Crosse	54603	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 789-7970	237	33	7.2	84.8%	97 (40.9%)	22 (9.3%)	19 (8.0%)	54 (22.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (18.6%)	14.7	911^th of 1039 public elementary schools	12.3%		17.6	890^th of 1044 public elementary schools	14.8%	21	18.2	25.8	34.2	22.7	16.1	40.5	45.2	25.8	$24,890	$2,388	$22,502
Coulee Montessori Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	1611 Kane St	La Crosse	54601	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(608) 789-7970	118	9	13.8	66.1%	85 (72.0%)	5 (4.2%)	8 (6.8%)	7 (5.9%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (10.2%)	51.7	568^th of 1039 public elementary schools	45.3%		17.9	886^th of 1044 public elementary schools	15.1%	318	54.6	64.3	43.8	54.6	50.0	37.5	78.6	50.0	$14,882	$1,144	$13,738
Summit Environmental School	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 Lakeshore Dr	La Crosse	54603	La Crosse County	La Crosse School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 789-7980	295	26	11.3	51.5%	220 (74.6%)	7 (2.4%)	14 (4.7%)	17 (5.8%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (12.2%)	39.8	725^th of 1039 public elementary schools	30.2%		34.8	770^th of 1044 public elementary schools	26.2%	45	47.2	46.0	48.6	44.4	37.8	37.1	67.6	46.0	$16,984	$806	$16,177

Frequently Asked Questions about Spence Elementary

How many students attend Spence Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 329 students attended Spence Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Spence Elementary?

Students at Spence Elementary are 61% White, 16% Asian, 12% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 4% African American.

What district is Spence Elementary in?

La Crosse School District

What schools do graduates of Spence Elementary attend?

Students who attend Spence Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Longfellow Middle
High : Central High

Is Spence Elementary a good school?

Spence Elementary ranks 259^th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Spence 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.