Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Emerson Elementary

Q: Is Emerson Elementary a good school?

Emerson Elementary ranks 712 th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

712^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 32% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Emerson Elementary is a public elementary school in Madison, Wisconsin, serving 317 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Madison Metropolitan School District, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Emerson Elementary has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past several years, dropping from 421 out of 1,037 Wisconsin elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 712 out of 1,044 in 2024-2025, with a consistent 2-star rating. The school's student performance on the Forward Exam is generally below the district and state averages across grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the percentage of 3rd-grade students proficient or better in English Language Arts was 46.67%, compared to 46.45% for the district and 52.14% for the state. Similarly, the percentage of 5th-grade students proficient or better in Mathematics was 36.54%, compared to 41.37% for the district and 52.58% for the state.

Emerson Elementary's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with White students consistently performing well, but African American, Hispanic, and low socioeconomic status students performing significantly below the state average. The school also faces challenges with high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 17.7% to 35.4% over the past few years, which is significantly higher than the state average. Compared to nearby schools within the Madison Metropolitan School District, such as Lowell Elementary and Marquette Elementary, Emerson Elementary's performance is generally lower, though it outperforms some other nearby schools, such as Kennedy Elementary and Hawthorne Elementary.

297

Students ?

9.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,002

Per pupil spending ?

54.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2421 E Johnson St
Madison, WI 53704-4997

(608) 204-2000

District: Madison Metropolitan School District

Students who attend Emerson Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Sherman Middle
High:	East High

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.1%

African American:

26.9%

Hispanic:

14.8%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Emerson Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 59th percentile in 2019 → 32nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (47% vs 54% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (26% vs 17% Wisconsin)

!Ranking has slipped from its 59th-percentile peak (2019) to 32nd (2025)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school47%

District avg47%

Wisconsin avg54%

712^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 23% (2015) to bottom 32% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

16^th of 29Elementary Schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District

317^th of 426Madison Metropolitan 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
2025	41.2	712 of 1044	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.7	671 of 1061	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	48.0	628 of 1067	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.4	575 of 1067	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	58.2	463 of 1050	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	60.7	421 of 1037	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	55.3	491 of 1025	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	44.0	669 of 1071	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	29.4	830 of 1075	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.9	833 of 1076	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	36.4	818 of 1061	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.8	940 of 1053	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.6	915 of 1045	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	25.2	912 of 1046	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	16.1	950 of 1045	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	9.7	958 of 1030	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	10.2	945 of 1021	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	17.3	611 of 689	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	20.4	608 of 712	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	7.8	580 of 632	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	13.5	562 of 633	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	28.8	105 of 144	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	59.6	41 of 137	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	38.3	72 of 138	47.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.9	107 of 133	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.2	136 of 141	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	55.2	53 of 161	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	44.3	70 of 165	57.6%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	38.8	165 of 255	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.4	173 of 269	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	139 of 249	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	60.5	67 of 248	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	37.0	179 of 275	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.0	86 of 287	70.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	36.8	720 of 1001	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	46.6	642 of 1011	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	42.1	666 of 1010	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.1	545 of 1017	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	47.2	573 of 1004	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	67.3	309 of 1002	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	58.4	435 of 997	56.4%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	39.6	188 of 322	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.7	289 of 331	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	68.3	72 of 296	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	62.9	78 of 266	70.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	20.8	755 of 870	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	722 of 866	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	776 of 871	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.5	770 of 859	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.9	555 of 847	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.5	559 of 874	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	34.8	636 of 854	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	46.9	596 of 1000	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.8	628 of 1012	37.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	47.7	600 of 1011	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2022	51.8	536 of 1017	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	68.9	264 of 1003	73.7%	★★★★☆
2019	54.1	481 of 1002	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2018	51.4	535 of 997	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	89 of 113	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.2	52 of 85	38.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.6	34 of 76	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	43.3	35 of 67	47.8%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	61.9	242 of 802	69.8%	★★★★☆
2024	59.0	267 of 790	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.7	513 of 770	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.0	399 of 748	46.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	41.7	404 of 742	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	58.3	248 of 721	65.6%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	77.1	128 of 718	82.2%	★★★★☆
2024	90.5	22 of 727	97.0%	★★★★★
2023	85.0	55 of 715	92.3%	★★★★★
2022	69.8	172 of 704	75.6%	★★★★☆
2021	70.4	179 of 699	74.4%	★★★★☆
2019	86.8	51 of 718	92.9%	★★★★★
2018	78.5	102 of 686	85.1%	★★★★☆

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)

White (2025)82nd percentile+50 vs school

Special Education (2025)70th percentile+38 vs school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)40th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)35th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)28th percentile-4 vs school

African American (2025)27th percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)21st percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)13th percentile-19 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies65%~ state avg

Science48%~ state avg

English Language Arts48%-4 vs state

Mathematics41%-13 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Emerson Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Emerson Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Emerson Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2025)			Forward Exam Mathematics (2025)			Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)	Forward Exam Science (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
Emerson Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2421 E Johnson St	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-2000	297	30	9.9	54.2%	128 (43.1%)	80 (26.9%)	44 (14.8%)	7 (2.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (11.4%)	41.2	712^th of 1044 public elementary schools	31.8%		45.7	671^st of 1061 public elementary schools	36.8%	41	46.7	50.0	48.1	41.3	48.4	36.5	64.5	48.4	$16,002	$886	$15,116
Lowell Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	401 Maple Ave	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-6600	329	28	11.7	44.7%	168 (51.1%)	84 (25.5%)	38 (11.6%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (9.4%)	59.6	467^th of 1044 public elementary schools	55.3%		53.3	589^th of 1061 public elementary schools	44.5%	122	55.4	64.3	52.2	62.5	57.1	37.0	66.7	64.3	$14,452	$402	$14,051
Marquette Elementary	Public	3-5	1501 Jenifer St	Madison	53703	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-3220	169	15	11.1	36.1%	97 (57.4%)	41 (24.3%)	13 (7.7%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (7.7%)	70.1	315^th of 1044 public elementary schools	69.8%		76.7	208^th of 1061 public elementary schools	80.4%	107	71.7	63.3	69.4	70.0	51.0	59.2	67.4	57.1	$17,647	$1,078	$16,570
Lapham Elementary	Public	PK, KG-2	1045 E Dayton St	Madison	53703	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-4140	182	23	8.0	44.0%	105 (57.7%)	33 (18.1%)	16 (8.8%)	3 (1.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (12.6%)								(n/a)									$18,844	$645	$18,199
Hawthorne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3344 Concord Ave	Madison	53714	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-2500	360	35	10.2	66.7%	65 (18.1%)	90 (25.0%)	117 (32.5%)	38 (10.6%)	8 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (11.7%)	15.3	904^th of 1044 public elementary schools	13.4%		17.2	907^th of 1061 public elementary schools	14.5%	3	33.3	26.1	32.1	24.5	32.6	22.6	43.5	19.6	$17,322	$1,168	$16,154
Schenk Elementary	Public	K-5	230 Schenk St	Madison	53714	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-1500	394	42	9.4	58.1%	116 (29.4%)	79 (20.1%)	138 (35.0%)	20 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (10.4%)	19.6	876^th of 1044 public elementary schools	16.1%		13.5	929^th of 1061 public elementary schools	12.4%	53	28.2	34.6	24.6	30.1	30.9	17.7	55.4	41.1	$16,915	$1,377	$15,539
Lake View Elementary	Public	K-5	1802 Tennyson Ln	Madison	53704	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-4040	292	33	8.9	73.6%	26 (8.9%)	53 (18.2%)	81 (27.7%)	103 (35.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.6%)	23	853^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	18.3%		16.2	913^th of 1061 public elementary schools	13.9%	60	31.1	50.0	19.6	21.7	34.0	27.7	60.0	26.0	$18,068	$1,210	$16,859
Winnequah School	Public	PK, KG-5	800 Greenway Rd	Monona	53716	Dane County	Monona Grove School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 221-7677	602	51	11.8	20.3%	455 (75.6%)	21 (3.5%)	53 (8.8%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (10.8%)	78.1	189^th of 1044 public elementary schools	81.9%		78.1	185^th of 1061 public elementary schools	82.6%	4	70.2	67.6	63.0	72.3	66.7	64.2	76.9	70.4
Nuestro Mundo	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	902 Nichols Rd	Monona	53716	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-1076	311	28	11.1	40.8%	80 (25.7%)	10 (3.2%)	199 (64.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (5.8%)	46.7	634^th of 1044 public elementary schools	39.3%		42.2	705^th of 1061 public elementary schools	33.6%	71	42.0	51.1	53.5	48.0	38.3	44.2	66.0	57.5	$15,110	$923	$14,187
Kennedy Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	221 Meadowlark Dr	Madison	53714	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-3420	582	53	10.9	61.5%	174 (29.9%)	238 (40.9%)	62 (10.7%)	41 (7.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (11.3%)	13.3	920^th of 1044 public elementary schools	11.9%		13.8	927^th of 1061 public elementary schools	12.6%	7	30.1	22.0	26.2	38.4	18.3	21.5	41.5	22.0	$13,952	$444	$13,509

Frequently Asked Questions about Emerson Elementary

Is Emerson Elementary a good school?

Emerson Elementary ranks 712^th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Emerson Elementary in?

Madison Metropolitan School District

What is the racial makeup of Emerson Elementary?

Students at Emerson Elementary are 43% White, 27% African American, 15% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Emerson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Emerson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sherman Middle
High : East High

How many students attend Emerson Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 297 students attended Emerson Elementary.

Rate Emerson Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

WIWisconsin Elementary School Rankings

WIWisconsin District Rankings

Schools in Madison, WI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Emerson Elementary!

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.