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Emerson Elementary

Q: Is Emerson Elementary a good school?

Emerson Elementary ranks 724 th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

724^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Emerson Elementary is a PK–5 school at 2421 E Johnson St on Madison’s east side, serving 297 students in the Madison Metropolitan School District. In 2025–2026, Emerson Elementary ranked 724 of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools—30th percentile, 2 stars—placing it slightly above its district average but below the state median. Its history shows a peak in 2018–2019 at the 59th percentile, followed by a decline and recent stability around the 30th–37th percentile. Locally, it outperforms nearby 1-star same-district schools such as Kennedy Elementary, Mendota Elementary, Schenk Elementary, Lake View Elementary, and Hawthorne Elementary, but trails Lowell Elementary (67th percentile, 3 stars), Marquette Elementary (80th percentile, 4 stars), and Winnequah School (79th percentile, 4 stars). Nuestro Mundo is close by rank (33rd percentile, 2 stars).

Academically, the picture is uneven. Science is the school’s brightest spot: 4th-grade science was 55.56%, above both district and state. Math is the clearest weakness, with every tested grade below district and state—41.67% in 3rd grade, 40.32% in 4th, and 38.24% in 5th. ELA is mixed, and 4th-grade social studies is also below district and state. Chronic absenteeism was 26.0% in 2024–2025, much improved from 42.1% in 2021–2022, and better than the district’s 29.6%, but still above Wisconsin’s 17.3%. The school spends $23,216 per student and has a 9.9:1 student-teacher ratio, both relatively favorable, though achievement remains middling; for comparison, Winnequah School spends $16,598 per student with an 11.8:1 ratio and ranks at the 79th percentile.

The school’s effectiveness rankings also vary widely by student group. Low-income students ranked at the 6th percentile (0 stars) in 2025–2026, down from 13th in 2024–2025 and 17th in 2023–2024—a major equity concern. Overall, the school has positive resource and attendance trends, a science strength, and persistent math and subgroup-effectiveness challenges. The key questions for parents and school leaders are why math lags across grades, why low-income subgroup rankings have fallen so sharply, and how the school’s relatively strong staffing and spending can be translated into stronger core academic outcomes.

297

Students ?

9.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,216

Per pupil spending ?

54.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

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 → 30th in 2026

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (48% vs 55% meeting standards)

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

!Ranking has slipped from its 59th-percentile peak (2019) to 30th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school48%

District avg49%

Wisconsin avg55%

724^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 23% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

321^st of 432Madison 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
2026	39.9	724 of 1039	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	17.5	140 of 150	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	49.2	101 of 245	58.8%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	40.6	678 of 986	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	12.3	793 of 848	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	39.8	681 of 989	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	56.1	61 of 142	57.0%	★★★☆☆
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
2026	44.3	426 of 791	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	75.4	138 of 697	80.2%	★★★★☆
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 (2026)80th percentile+50 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)59th percentile+28 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)57th percentile+27 vs school

Special Education (2026)46th percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)42nd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)31st percentile~ school

Male (2026)31st percentile~ school

African American (2026)7th percentile-24 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile-24 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies56%-10 vs state

Science56%~ state avg

English Language Arts47%-6 vs state

Mathematics40%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Emerson 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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	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
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%)	39.9	724^th of 1039 public elementary schools	30.3%		41.2	712^th of 1044 public elementary schools	31.8%	12	50.0	49.2	41.2	41.7	40.3	38.2	55.6	55.6	$23,216	$1,144	$22,073
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%)	68.4	340^th of 1039 public elementary schools	67.3%		59.6	467^th of 1044 public elementary schools	55.3%	127	47.8	72.2	62.8	60.9	55.6	58.1	74.1	75.9	$21,086	$695	$20,391
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%)	77.2	209^th of 1039 public elementary schools	79.9%		70.1	315^th of 1044 public elementary schools	69.8%	106	70.4	75.4	63.0	70.4	65.6	55.6	80.3	72.1	$20,381	$527	$19,854
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)									$21,320	$492	$20,829
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%)	17.5	887^th of 1039 public elementary schools	14.6%		15.3	904^th of 1044 public elementary schools	13.4%	17	18.6	34.8	29.0	9.3	32.6	31.6	54.4	32.6	$22,157	$1,261	$20,896
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	873^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	16.0%		19.6	876^th of 1044 public elementary schools	16.1%	3	22.2	35.9	31.6	22.2	26.9	24.6	52.6	41.0	$25,633	$1,089	$24,545
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%)	19.5	867^th of 1039 public elementary schools	16.6%		23	853^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	18.3%	14	23.8	27.8	32.1	31.0	43.4	17.0	57.4	27.8	$24,632	$1,759	$22,873
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%)	77	214^th of 1039 public elementary schools	79.4%		78.1	189^th of 1044 public elementary schools	81.9%	25	74.5	72.9	59.7	67.4	71.9	57.9	80.2	72.9	$16,598	$309	$16,289
Nuestro Mundo	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	4201 Buckeye Rd	Madison	53716	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-1079	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%)	42.1	695^th of 1039 public elementary schools	33.1%		46.7	634^th of 1044 public elementary schools	39.3%	61	45.1	46.7	55.8	54.9	31.1	60.5	48.9	42.2	$22,479	$839	$21,640
Kennedy Elementary	Public	K-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%)	19.4	869^th of 1039 public elementary schools	16.4%		13.3	920^th of 1044 public elementary schools	11.9%	51	21.9	42.9	21.4	33.3	31.9	20.0	47.8	42.9	$23,491	$1,260	$22,230

Frequently Asked Questions about Emerson Elementary

What schools do graduates of Emerson Elementary attend?

Students who attend Emerson Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sherman Middle
High : East High

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 district is Emerson Elementary in?

Madison Metropolitan School District

How many students attend Emerson Elementary?

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

Is Emerson Elementary a good school?

Emerson Elementary ranks 724^th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Emerson 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.