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

Thoreau Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1003^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Thoreau Elementary is a public elementary school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving grades PK-8 with a total enrollment of 357 students. The school is part of the Milwaukee School District, which is ranked 415 out of 426 districts in the state.

Thoreau Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of Wisconsin elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on the Forward Exam across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in 2024-2025, the percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts ranged from 4.55% to 22.22%, compared to the state average of 51.26% to 53.97%. The school also has a very high percentage of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with 93.51% to 99.43% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Additionally, Thoreau Elementary has experienced high rates of chronic absenteeism and concerning dropout rates in recent years.

While the nearby schools within the Milwaukee School District, such as Bruce Elementary, Kluge Elementary, and Goodrich Elementary, also perform poorly on academic measures, one exception is Stuart Elementary, which ranks slightly higher and has slightly better academic performance. Another nearby school, Brown Deer Elementary, which is outside the Milwaukee School District, performs significantly better than Thoreau Elementary and the other Milwaukee schools.

353

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,499

Per pupil spending ?

95.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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 — 6th percentile in 2015 → 4th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (12% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school12%

District avg23%

Wisconsin avg54%

Elementary school

1,003^rd of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

591^st of 628

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

70^th of 106Elementary Schools in the Milwaukee School District

415^th of 426Milwaukee 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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

African American (2024)24th percentile+21 vs school

Female (2025)5th percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2023)67th percentile+56 vs school

Special Education (2025)13th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)7th percentile~ school

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

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies20%-43 vs state

Science14%-36 vs state

English Language Arts13%-40 vs state

Mathematics8%-46 vs state

★

No ratings yet

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

Rate Thoreau 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 Thoreau 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 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	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%)	3.2	1003^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	3.9%		2.3	1032^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	2.7%	29	22.2	4.6	13.2	6.1	11.1	22.2	11.1	0.0	5.3	6.1	7.4	18.5	18.2	22.2	13.6	14.8	$15,499	$2,922	$12,577
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%)	42.1	698^th of 1044 public elementary schools	33.1%		36.4	766^th of 1061 public elementary schools	27.8%	68	59.5	41.3	41.1				78.4	45.9	43.6				46.8		24.8		$14,069	$750	$13,318
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%)	3.9	992^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	5.0%		4	1002^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	5.6%	10	9.8	21.2	12.9				9.8	6.1	16.1				21.2		6.1		$16,750	$2,973	$13,776
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%)	3.2	1005^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.7%		2.2	1037^th of 1061 public elementary schools	2.3%	32	12.9	8.0	6.9				22.6	4.0	0.0				20.0		8.0		$17,662	$3,846	$13,816
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	984^th of 1044 public elementary schools	5.7%		8.4	962^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	9.3%	22	7.7	11.1	27.8	7.1	14.3	26.7	0.0	5.6	22.2	0.0	21.4	20.0	16.7	40.0	5.6	20.0	$10,725	$2,032	$8,693
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%)	1.6	1033^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	1.1%		2.3	1035^th of 1061 public elementary schools	2.5%	2	3.3	2.8	5.4	6.3	8.6	24.3	3.3	0.0	8.1	6.3	8.6	24.3	5.6	21.6	2.8	16.2	$17,464	$2,600	$14,864
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%)	11.8	931^st of 1044 public elementary schools	10.8%		14.6	924^th of 1061 public elementary schools	12.9%	7	27.8	29.8	19.1				33.3	25.5	7.1				36.2		25.5		$17,060	$3,349	$13,712
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%)	9.2	945^th of 1044 public elementary schools	9.5%		7.6	968^th of 1061 public elementary schools	8.8%	23	13.9	22.7	17.0	29.3	36.5	37.0	22.2	25.8	18.6	24.1	30.8	37.0	39.4	45.7	10.6	23.9	$20,832	$2,820	$18,012
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%)	7.7	953^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	8.7%		2.6	1025^th of 1061 public elementary schools	3.4%	72	31.0	16.7	10.7				31.0	13.3	10.7				33.3		6.7		$16,209	$3,779	$12,430
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%)	4.3	988^th of 1044 public elementary schools	5.4%		3.5	1010^th of 1061 public elementary schools	4.8%	22	25.6	11.8	3.2				15.4	8.8	0.0				20.6		14.7		$18,593	$2,661	$15,932

Frequently Asked Questions about Thoreau Elementary

What district is Thoreau Elementary in?

Milwaukee School District

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.

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

Is Thoreau Elementary a good school?

Thoreau Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.9% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

How many students attend Thoreau Elementary?

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

Rate Thoreau Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

WIWisconsin Elementary School Rankings

WIWisconsin District Rankings

Schools in Milwaukee, WI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Thoreau 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.