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Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

857^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School is a PK–5 school serving 462 students in Madison, Wisconsin, as part of the Madison Metropolitan School District.

In 2025–2026 it ranked 857th of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools — the 18th percentile with a 1-star rating — consistent with a long stretch in the bottom fifth of state rankings, aside from 2020–2021, when it reached the 34th percentile and 2 stars. The district overall ranks 321st of 432 districts (26th percentile, 1 star), so Henderson sits below its own district average. Proficiency trails both the district and the state in every subject and grade reported. Mathematics is the sharpest weak spot: 3rd-grade math proficiency was 22.39%, versus 47.09% district and 54.75% state — roughly 25 points below the district and 32 below the state. ELA gaps are smaller but still present in grades 3–5.

Resources are not the issue. Henderson spends $23,893 per student — more than nearby higher performers such as Marquette Elementary ($20,381), Lowell Elementary ($21,086), Elvehjem Elementary ($22,344), Waubesa Intermediate ($19,163), Winnequah School ($16,598), and Nuestro Mundo ($22,479) — and its 10.2 student-teacher ratio is smaller than all of them, yet its results are far lower. Chronic absenteeism improved from 39.2% in 2021–2022 to 27.0% in 2024–2025 and is below the district's 29.6%, but it remains well above the state's 17.3% and higher than nearby same-district schools. Effectiveness for low-income students sits at the 6th percentile, with special education at 18th and English-language learners at 27th, down from 64th a year earlier. Henderson does outperform some high-poverty neighbors — including Kennedy Elementary, Schenk Elementary, One City Elementary School, and Wisconsin Virtual Academy K-8 (WIVA) — in several grades.

462

Students ?

10.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,893

Per pupil spending ?

58.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1201 Tompkins Dr
Madison, WI 53716-3299

(608) 204-2400

District: Madison Metropolitan School District

Students who attend Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Sennett Middle
High:	LaFollette High

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

37.7%

White:

25.8%

African American:

19.3%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 11th percentile in 2016 → 18th in 2026

Strengths

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

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (35% vs 55% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (27% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school35%

District avg49%

Wisconsin avg55%

857^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 11% (2016) to bottom 18% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

20^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	21.0	857 of 1039	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.1	837 of 1044	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.7	892 of 1061	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	887 of 1067	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.6	910 of 1067	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.6	696 of 1050	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.5	868 of 1037	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.1	871 of 1025	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.5	918 of 1071	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	10.9	957 of 1075	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	10.9	971 of 1076	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	12.3	955 of 1061	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	8.7	982 of 1053	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	4.1	999 of 1045	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.1	1012 of 1046	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	7.8	992 of 1045	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.6	954 of 1030	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.8	971 of 1021	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	10.5	631 of 689	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.9	668 of 712	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	5.6	591 of 632	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	13.8	560 of 633	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	32.1	107 of 150	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	41.5	76 of 144	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	53.0	57 of 137	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	60.8	32 of 138	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	21.0	127 of 133	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	25.4	120 of 141	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	57.0	48 of 161	70.2%	★★★★☆
2018	69.6	29 of 165	82.4%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	32.9	180 of 245	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	52.8	93 of 255	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.9	113 of 269	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.6	133 of 249	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	46.7	113 of 248	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.6	176 of 275	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.0	164 of 287	42.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	30.6	766 of 1001	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.4	825 of 1011	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.8	815 of 1010	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.8	797 of 1017	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	29.7	768 of 1004	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.0	846 of 1002	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.6	770 of 997	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	18.0	314 of 347	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.3	245 of 322	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	253 of 331	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.9	188 of 290	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.3	185 of 296	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	53.3	100 of 274	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	35.6	169 of 266	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	32.8	186 of 271	31.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	11.9	798 of 848	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	17.1	779 of 870	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.0	841 of 866	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.5	836 of 871	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	9.4	830 of 859	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	34.0	610 of 847	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.5	808 of 874	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	23.6	739 of 854	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	20.3	828 of 989	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.5	820 of 1000	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.7	866 of 1012	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	850 of 1011	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.7	896 of 1017	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	55.8	484 of 1003	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2019	28.3	794 of 1002	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.5	885 of 997	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	50.2	70 of 142	50.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	45 of 96	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	23.2	652 of 791	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.6	656 of 802	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.1	395 of 790	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.5	536 of 770	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	26.4	595 of 748	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.9	544 of 742	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.8	466 of 721	35.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	319 of 697	54.2%	★★★☆☆
2025	76.3	138 of 718	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	47.5	410 of 727	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	62.9	237 of 715	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.1	310 of 704	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	84.7	62 of 699	91.1%	★★★★★
2019	57.3	312 of 718	56.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.7	299 of 686	56.4%	★★★☆☆

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)54th percentile+37 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)51st percentile+33 vs school

African American (2026)29th percentile+11 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)27th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)23rd percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2026)18th percentile~ school

Male (2026)16th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)10th percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)6th percentile-12 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies47%-18 vs state

Science38%-15 vs state

English Language Arts36%-17 vs state

Mathematics28%-25 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Saturday, March 22, 2014

Very high teacher to student ration. Excellent after school program. DLI program is great. Close Quote

Schools Near Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School

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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
Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1201 Tompkins Dr	Madison	53716	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 204-2400	462	45	10.2	58.7%	119 (25.8%)	89 (19.3%)	174 (37.7%)	30 (6.5%)	6 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	41 (8.9%)	21	857^th of 1039 public elementary schools	17.5%		25.1	837^th of 1044 public elementary schools	19.8%	20	32.8	36.2	39.4	22.4	35.3	25.8	47.1	38.2	$23,893	$1,175	$22,718
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
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
One City Elementary School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	1707 W Broadway	Monona	53713	Dane County	One City Schools Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(608) 531-2128	328	26	12.5	68.0%	30 (9.1%)	212 (64.6%)	38 (11.6%)	6 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (12.8%)	15.1	908^th of 1039 public elementary schools	12.6%		14.2	913^th of 1044 public elementary schools	12.5%	5	21.9	41.5	20.0	21.9	26.8	11.4	53.7	24.4
Elvehjem Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5106 Academy Dr	Madison	53716	Dane County	Madison Metropolitan School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 204-1400	415	31	13.6	36.6%	218 (52.5%)	51 (12.3%)	61 (14.7%)	23 (5.5%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	56 (13.5%)	58.1	479^th of 1039 public elementary schools	53.9%		55.4	526^th of 1044 public elementary schools	49.6%	47	55.4	63.0	52.2	60.7	54.4	35.8	73.9	71.7	$22,344	$491	$21,853
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
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
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
Waubesa Intermediate	Public	3-5	5605 Red Oak Trl	Mc Farland	53558	Dane County	McFarland School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 838-7667	489	38	12.9	17.6%	399 (81.6%)	9 (1.8%)	23 (4.7%)	20 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	36 (7.4%)	77.8	204^th of 1039 public elementary schools	80.4%		80.8	147^th of 1044 public elementary schools	85.9%	57	68.2	67.8	70.8	65.6	66.4	77.0	75.8	65.8	$19,163	$610	$18,553
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School?

Students at Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School are 38% Hispanic, 26% White, 19% African American, 9% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 1% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sennett Middle
High : LaFollette High

Is Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School a good school?

Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.5% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

What district is Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School in?

Madison Metropolitan School District

How many students attend Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 462 students attended Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School.

Rate Dr Virginia Henderson Elementary School!

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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.