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Thoreau Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-8

997^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Thoreau Elementary is a PK–8 school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving 353 students on the city's north side as part of the Milwaukee School District. It has ranked in the bottom 1–5% of Wisconsin schools in every reported year, earning 0 stars each year; in 2025–26 it placed 997th of 1,039 schools (4th percentile). Nearly all students are economically disadvantaged—95.75% qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25—and per-student spending rose from $13,543 in 2019–20 to $20,913 in 2024–25. The student–teacher ratio of 15.3 is comparable to or better than many nearby schools.

Academics are far below state and district averages. On the 2025–26 Forward Exam, ELA proficiency ranged from 2.86% in 3rd grade to 21.74% in 4th grade, while math proficiency was 0% in both 4th and 5th grades and no higher than 14.81% in any grade. Social studies was 30.43% in 4th grade and 18.52% in 8th; science was 17.39% and 14.81% in those grades. Chronic absenteeism reached 60.2% in 2024–25, versus 46.2% district-wide and 17.3% statewide, and the dropout rate was 4.6%, compared with 4.0% in the district and 1.1% in the state.

Nearby schools offer a useful comparison. Brown Deer Elementary, just 0.61 miles away, has much higher proficiency—roughly 44–62% in ELA and 37–81% in math in grades 3–5—while spending less ($15,061 per student) and serving fewer low-income students (57.97%). Other higher-performing neighbors, including Bruce Elementary, Goodrich Elementary and Stuart Elementary, have absenteeism rates of 22–34%, suggesting attendance is a major differentiator. There are bright spots: 4th grade ELA (21.74%) is close to the district's 24.6%, and special education students improved to the 24th percentile in 2025–26 from the 3rd–5th percentile range in earlier years. Attendance, math instruction and middle-grade engagement appear to be the most critical areas for improvement.

353

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,913

Per pupil spending ?

95.8%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

22%

Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements (2025-26)

7878 N 60th St
Milwaukee, WI 53223-4109

(262) 236-1800

District: Milwaukee School District

Students who attend Thoreau Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	King International Baccalaureate Middle
	Lincoln Middle
	Roosevelt Middle
High:	Audubon Technology and Communication High
	Bradley Technology High
	Harold S Vincent School of Agricultural Science
	King International
	More...
	Milwaukee High School of the Arts
	Milwaukee School of Languages
	Reagan College Preparatory High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

85.8%

Hispanic:

5.7%

Two or more races:

3.7%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Thoreau Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 1st percentile in 2016 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (10% vs 55% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!Dropout rate above the Wisconsin average (5% vs 1%)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school10%

District avg25%

Wisconsin avg55%

Elementary school

997^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

617^th of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

68^th of 105Elementary Schools in the Milwaukee School District

418^th of 432Milwaukee 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	3.0	997 of 1039	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.2	1003 of 1044	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.3	1032 of 1061	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.3	1020 of 1067	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.6	1017 of 1067	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.7	1001 of 1050	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.8	1005 of 1037	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.5	998 of 1025	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.9	1056 of 1071	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.2	1063 of 1075	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	5.4	1010 of 1076	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.5	980 of 1061	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	12.2	960 of 1053	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.9	972 of 1045	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.3	1009 of 1046	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	17.2	943 of 1045	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	23.3	904 of 1030	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	9.8	946 of 1021	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	15.5	618 of 689	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	6.7	663 of 712	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	18.6	538 of 632	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	23.0	527 of 633	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	16.8	141 of 150	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	27.7	104 of 137	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	30.3	98 of 138	29.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	24.6	108 of 133	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.2	100 of 141	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	6.4	920 of 986	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	5.0	947 of 1001	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.0	980 of 1011	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	960 of 1010	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.1	985 of 1017	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.4	906 of 1004	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.6	954 of 1002	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.0	938 of 997	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	2.5	970 of 989	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.0	973 of 1000	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.9	972 of 1012	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.8	967 of 1011	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.0	963 of 1017	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.2	976 of 1003	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.3	978 of 1002	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.1	986 of 997	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	28.5	601 of 791	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	11.8	781 of 802	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.8	752 of 790	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.0	693 of 770	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	707 of 748	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.6	654 of 746	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	725 of 742	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	15.6	673 of 721	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	2.8	617 of 643	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	4.1	591 of 628	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	6.7	589 of 641	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	572 of 640	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	5.8	580 of 617	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.6	576 of 613	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.3	570 of 594	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.9	557 of 579	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.2	598 of 612	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.4	599 of 609	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.8	588 of 612	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.0	551 of 585	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.2	540 of 569	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.6	528 of 559	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	2.5	532 of 549	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.4	528 of 539	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	1.8	509 of 521	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.3	502 of 519	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.7	347 of 366	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	3.6	358 of 382	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	19.1	110 of 125	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.3	43 of 130	66.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	20.9	113 of 125	9.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.5	113 of 134	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	3.6	548 of 572	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	6.7	533 of 573	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.6	516 of 580	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.6	476 of 579	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	7.7	538 of 576	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.4	545 of 574	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.9	523 of 557	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.0	526 of 551	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2021	13.4	469 of 499	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	3.6	551 of 575	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.5	549 of 577	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.9	546 of 585	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	544 of 591	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.6	544 of 577	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.5	534 of 572	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.2	546 of 557	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.0	529 of 551	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	21.2	376 of 439	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	20.7	359 of 414	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	356 of 425	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	417 of 439	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.5	413 of 421	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	389 of 437	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.1	393 of 414	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	386 of 417	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

Special Education (2026)24th percentile+20 vs school

Female (2026)7th percentile+3 vs school

African American (2026)6th percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Middle school

Special Education (2026)14th percentile+10 vs school

African American (2026)12th percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2021)6th percentile~ school

Female (2026)4th percentile~ school

Male (2026)4th percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies24%-41 vs state

Science16%-37 vs state

English Language Arts10%-44 vs state

Mathematics5%-48 vs state

★

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Schools Near Thoreau 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 Vaccination 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)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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 English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Vaccination: Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Thoreau Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	7878 N 60th St	Milwaukee	53223	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(262) 236-1800	353	23	15.3	95.8%	8 (2.3%)	303 (85.8%)	20 (5.7%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	3	997^th of 1039 public elementary schools	4.0%		3.2	1003^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	3.9%	6	2.9	21.7	7.7	14.6	6.1	11.1	2.9	0.0	0.0	7.1	6.1	14.8	30.4	18.5	17.4	14.8	22%		$20,913	$3,236	$17,677
Brown Deer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5757 W Dean Rd	Brown Deer	53223	Milwaukee County	Brown Deer School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 371-6800	709	46	15.3	58.0%	91 (12.8%)	361 (50.9%)	46 (6.5%)	131 (18.5%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (10.9%)	49.1	605^th of 1039 public elementary schools	41.8%		42.1	698^th of 1044 public elementary schools	33.1%	93	62.4	49.1	44.0				80.7	52.8	37.6				56.5		41.7		88%		$15,061	$967	$14,094
Barton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5700 W Green Tree Rd	Milwaukee	53223	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-3900	283	17	16.3	90.5%	8 (2.8%)	240 (84.8%)	8 (2.8%)	19 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)	4.3	985^th of 1039 public elementary schools	5.2%		3.9	992^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	5.0%	7	16.1	18.2	18.5				12.9	9.1	14.8				21.2		9.4		72%		$21,722	$2,779	$18,942
Hawthorne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6945 N 41st St	Milwaukee	53209	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 247-7200	259	16	16.0	96.9%	3 (1.2%)	222 (85.7%)	20 (7.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	12 (4.6%)	2.8	1006^th of 1039 public elementary schools	3.2%		3.2	1005^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.7%	1	6.9	7.4	20.0				13.8	3.7	8.0				18.5		3.7				$22,933	$3,357	$19,576
Darrell Lynn Hines Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	7151 N 86th St	Milwaukee	53224	Milwaukee County	Darrell L Hines Academy Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 358-3542	180	8	23.0	67.2%	0 (0.0%)	162 (90.0%)	4 (2.2%)	7 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.9%)	4.5	982^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	5.5%		4.5	984^th of 1044 public elementary schools	5.7%	2	20.0	0.0	18.2	18.5	5.0	17.7	16.0	0.0	0.0	22.2	10.0	11.8	5.9	29.4	5.9	5.9
Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	7900 W Acacia St	Milwaukee	53223	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-3800	384	24	15.9	92.2%	5 (1.3%)	314 (81.8%)	22 (5.7%)	23 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (4.9%)	2.7	1009^th of 1039 public elementary schools	2.9%		1.6	1033^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	1.1%	24	15.0	5.7	0.0	24.4	0.0	25.9	7.5	2.9	0.0	4.9	3.0	7.4	11.8	22.2	2.9	11.5	62%		$26,248	$2,725	$23,523
Stuart Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7001 N 86th St	Milwaukee	53224	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-3700	322	19	16.9	77.3%	2 (0.6%)	197 (61.2%)	33 (10.2%)	71 (22.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	16 (5.0%)	9.2	938^th of 1039 public elementary schools	9.7%		11.8	931^st of 1044 public elementary schools	10.8%	7	25.6	23.1	35.9				18.6	15.4	9.4				25.6		20.5		53%		$20,430	$2,753	$17,677
Milwaukee Scholars Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	7000 W Florist Ave	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee Scholars Charter School Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-0197	696	36	19.3	83.0%	4 (0.6%)	561 (80.6%)	23 (3.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (15.1%)	7.3	956^th of 1039 public elementary schools	8.0%		9.2	945^th of 1044 public elementary schools	9.5%	11	6.9	17.5	36.2	22.6	48.7	40.0	8.2	16.1	25.9	14.5	33.3	39.1	29.8	39.1	8.8	26.1	77%
Bruce Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6453 N 89th St	Milwaukee	53224	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-2100	270	15	18.2	94.8%	4 (1.5%)	220 (81.5%)	12 (4.4%)	15 (5.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.7%)	14.1	913^th of 1039 public elementary schools	12.1%		7.7	953^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	8.7%	40	12.5	42.3	29.2				31.3	23.1	16.7				38.5		26.9		73%		$21,080	$2,956	$18,124
Kluge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5760 N 67th St	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 578-5000	301	21	14.3	92.7%	6 (2.0%)	250 (83.1%)	15 (5.0%)	22 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	3.1	995^th of 1039 public elementary schools	4.2%		4.3	988^th of 1044 public elementary schools	5.4%	7	9.3	11.8	11.4				11.6	2.9	11.4				26.5		11.8		73%		$26,270	$3,172	$23,098

Frequently Asked Questions about Thoreau Elementary

Is Thoreau Elementary a good school?

Thoreau Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.0% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

What district is Thoreau Elementary in?

Milwaukee School District

How many students attend Thoreau Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 353 students attended Thoreau Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Thoreau Elementary attend?

Students who attend Thoreau Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : King International Baccalaureate Middle
Middle : Lincoln Middle
Middle : Roosevelt Middle
High : Audubon Technology and Communication High
High : Bradley Technology High
High : Harold S Vincent School of Agricultural Science
High : King International
High : Milwaukee High School of the Arts
High : Milwaukee School of Languages
High : Reagan College Preparatory High

What is the racial makeup of Thoreau Elementary?

Students at Thoreau Elementary are 86% African American, 6% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 3% Asian, 2% White.

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2018–19 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)Oct 20, 2026

2016–17 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

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.