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Carson Academy

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1027^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Carson Academy is a PK–8 elementary and middle school serving 326 students at 4920 W Capitol Dr in Milwaukee, part of the Milwaukee School District, and it is one of the larger PK–8 schools in its immediate neighborhood.

The school has sat in the bottom 1st–4th percentile of Wisconsin schools every reporting year for a decade, ranking 1027th of 1039 in 2025–26. On the 2025–26 Forward Exam, Carson trailed the district average in 16 of 17 measured subject-and-grade combinations. Its standout result is 8th grade math, where 25% of students were proficient — above the district's 21.63% and essentially matching Craig Montessori School (27.27%), a same-district PK–8 school 1.69 miles away. Chronic absenteeism is the biggest day-to-day challenge: 66.6% of Carson students were chronically absent in 2024–25, well above the district's 46.2% and about four times Wisconsin's 17.3% rate. The encouraging news is the trend — absenteeism has fallen each of the past four years, from 80.2% to 66.6%, and middle-grade reading and math scores have improved steadily. Those classes are small, so any single year's numbers should be read with caution.

Spending alone does not appear to explain the gap in outcomes. Carson spends $20,392 per student — within $81 of Craig Montessori, which ranks far higher and posts several times the proficiency in grade after grade. Carson's own spending climbed 59.7% over five years while its student-teacher ratio grew from 13.3 to 16.0. Hampton Elementary and Craig Montessori show stronger results are achievable nearby, while most surrounding MPS schools — including Congress Elementary, the area's largest — face similar challenges.

326

Students ?

16.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,392

Per pupil spending ?

94.5%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

58%

Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements (2025-26)

4920 W Capitol Dr
Milwaukee, WI 53216-2321

(414) 393-4800

District: Milwaukee School District

Students who attend Carson Academy usually attend:

Middle:	King International Baccalaureate Middle
	Lincoln Middle
	Morse Mid
	Roosevelt Middle
High:	Audubon Technology and Communication High
	Bradley Technology High
	King International
	Milwaukee High School of the Arts
	More...
	Milwaukee School of Languages
	Reagan College Preparatory High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

91.4%

Hispanic:

4.3%

Two or more races:

2.1%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Carson Academy to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2016 → 1st in 2026

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (67% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school10%

District avg25%

Wisconsin avg55%

Elementary school

1,027^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

601^st of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 3 pts since 2017

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

95^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	1.9	1027 of 1039	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.8	1031 of 1044	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.7	1045 of 1061	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.4	1057 of 1067	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.6	1051 of 1067	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.7	1004 of 1050	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.9	1021 of 1037	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.5	1015 of 1025	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.0	1052 of 1071	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.0	1045 of 1075	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.1	1029 of 1076	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	3.4	1018 of 1061	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.9	1006 of 1053	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.9	1018 of 1045	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	5.2	1008 of 1046	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	11.9	969 of 1045	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	16.8	933 of 1030	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	24.6	881 of 1021	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	26.2	569 of 689	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	30.2	570 of 712	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	21.4	125 of 137	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	3.1	960 of 986	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.4	969 of 1001	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.8	1000 of 1011	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.5	992 of 1010	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.3	997 of 1017	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.4	971 of 1004	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.9	978 of 1002	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.9	990 of 997	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	1.9	981 of 989	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.9	992 of 1000	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.5	991 of 1012	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.4	1005 of 1011	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.1	996 of 1017	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.3	950 of 1003	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.7	986 of 1002	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.4	979 of 997	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	10.4	792 of 802	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.7	779 of 790	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	17.3	675 of 742	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.9	697 of 721	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	4.7	601 of 643	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.4	597 of 628	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.4	617 of 641	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.9	604 of 640	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.1	612 of 617	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.2	602 of 613	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.3	582 of 594	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.2	563 of 579	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.9	588 of 612	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.1	595 of 612	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.8	557 of 585	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	4.1	535 of 569	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	6.6	523 of 559	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	11.0	508 of 549	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	27.9	464 of 539	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	21.6	459 of 521	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	17.6	462 of 519	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	9.6	333 of 366	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	28.4	316 of 382	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	32.1	277 of 332	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	37.5	78 of 125	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.2	113 of 118	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.9	120 of 125	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	13.1	502 of 572	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	5.8	539 of 573	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.5	567 of 580	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.7	541 of 579	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.8	568 of 576	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.0	560 of 574	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.8	555 of 557	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.7	547 of 551	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	11.9	499 of 525	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	2.9	561 of 575	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.9	557 of 577	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.5	553 of 585	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.7	559 of 591	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.9	567 of 577	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.7	561 of 572	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.0	533 of 557	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.6	524 of 551	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	376 of 414	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	28.4	331 of 425	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.2	344 of 439	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.6	367 of 437	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	408 of 414	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	400 of 417	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Elementary school

African American (2024)9th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2026)3rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)1st percentile~ school

Male (2026)1st percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2026)38th percentile+31 vs school

Female (2026)12th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2025)9th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)5th percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies15%-50 vs state

English Language Arts10%-44 vs state

Mathematics9%-45 vs state

Science5%-48 vs state

★

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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
Carson Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	4920 W Capitol Dr	Milwaukee	53216	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-4800	326	20	16.0	94.5%	3 (0.9%)	298 (91.4%)	14 (4.3%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.1%)	1.9	1027^th of 1039 public elementary schools	1.2%		1.8	1031^st of 1044 public elementary schools	1.2%	4	0.0	4.0	16.7	14.3	20.0	12.5	3.9	4.0	0.0	9.5	15.0	25.0	8.0	25.0	4.0	6.3	58%		$20,392	$3,430	$16,961
Fifty-Third Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3618 N 53rd St	Milwaukee	53216	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 874-5300	308	19	16.1	89.3%	4 (1.3%)	261 (84.7%)	28 (9.1%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.9%)	2.1	1022^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	1.6%		2.1	1025^th of 1044 public elementary schools	1.8%	3	5.9	13.8	14.3	14.3	7.7	12.0	5.9	0.0	0.0	3.6	3.9	4.0	16.7	12.0	3.5	8.0	79%		$21,014	$3,219	$17,794
Congress Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	5225 W Lincoln Creek Dr	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 616-5300	607	38	16.0	89.3%	4 (0.7%)	554 (91.3%)	23 (3.8%)	10 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.6%)	2.4	1016^th of 1039 public elementary schools	2.2%		2.2	1022^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	2.1%	6	8.3	15.0	13.3	9.8	10.0	19.1	2.2	0.0	0.0	3.9	14.0	7.1	28.2	19.1	10.3	21.4	61%		$19,144	$2,530	$16,614
Townsend Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3360 N Sherman Blvd	Milwaukee	53216	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 874-5900	257	16	16.0	93.8%	4 (1.6%)	222 (86.4%)	9 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.0%)	2.1	1025^th of 1039 public elementary schools	1.3%		1.1	1043^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	0.1%	18	0.0	13.3	8.3	0.0	3.9	8.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	7.7	0.0	26.7	8.3	20.0	4.2	43%		$21,020	$3,184	$17,837
Clemens Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3600 W Hope Ave	Milwaukee	53216	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 875-6300	321	23	14.0	97.5%	3 (0.9%)	284 (88.5%)	23 (7.2%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.8%)	2.9	1000^th of 1039 public elementary schools	3.8%		2.7	1011^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.2%	11	8.9	8.3	13.0				6.7	17.4	8.7				14.3		4.1		72%		$23,564	$2,608	$20,956
Sherman Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	5110 W Locust St	Milwaukee	53210	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 874-5800	147	17	8.6	90.5%	1 (0.7%)	133 (90.5%)	5 (3.4%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.8%)	1.2	1037^th of 1039 public elementary schools	0.2%		1.2	1042^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	0.2%	5	0.0	0.0	0.0	6.3	5.6	0.0	8.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.6	0.0	6.3	0.0	6.3	0.0	45%		$32,242	$3,512	$28,730
Hampton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5000 N 53rd St	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-5400	194	9	20.5	93.3%	3 (1.5%)	157 (80.9%)	18 (9.3%)	7 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (4.6%)	9.7	935^th of 1039 public elementary schools	10.0%		9.9	941^st of 1044 public elementary schools	9.9%	6	4.2	30.4	23.3				4.2	26.1	13.3				43.5		30.4		68%		$22,834	$2,788	$20,046
Milwaukee Math and Science Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	2703 N Sherman Blvd	Milwaukee	53210	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee Math and Science Academy Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 263-6400	241	14	17.2	90.5%	0 (0.0%)	230 (95.4%)	6 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.1%)	7.4	954^th of 1039 public elementary schools	8.2%		6.4	961^st of 1044 public elementary schools	8.0%	7	42.9	16.7	15.4	13.0	11.8	9.1	38.1	4.2	3.9	0.0	5.9	4.6	4.4	13.6	0.0	13.6	74%
Lancaster Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	4931 N 68th St	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-5500	316	17	18.5	90.5%	1 (0.3%)	281 (88.9%)	16 (5.1%)	4 (1.3%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)	2	1026^th of 1039 public elementary schools	1.3%		2.4	1019^th of 1044 public elementary schools	2.4%	7	4.6	0.0	19.2	4.2	9.1	5.9	0.0	0.0	11.5	0.0	6.3	2.9	4.8	8.8	0.0	11.4	83%		$19,056	$2,713	$16,343
Craig Montessori School	Public	PK, KG-8	7667 W Congress St	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-4200	220	13	17.0	60.9%	7 (3.2%)	182 (82.7%)	9 (4.1%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (8.6%)	11.1	925^th of 1039 public elementary schools	11.0%		6	965^th of 1044 public elementary schools	7.6%	40	18.8	35.0	16.7	31.3	50.0	18.2	12.5	30.0	16.7	18.8	18.8	27.3	35.0	27.3	25.0	18.2	86%		$20,311	$2,695	$17,616

Frequently Asked Questions about Carson Academy

Is Carson Academy a good school?

Carson Academy ranks in the bottom 1.2% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Carson Academy attend?

Students who attend Carson Academy usually go on to attend:

Middle : King International Baccalaureate Middle
Middle : Lincoln Middle
Middle : Morse Mid
Middle : Roosevelt Middle
High : Audubon Technology and Communication High
High : Bradley Technology High
High : King International
High : Milwaukee High School of the Arts
High : Milwaukee School of Languages
High : Reagan College Preparatory High

What district is Carson Academy in?

Milwaukee School District

What is the racial makeup of Carson Academy?

Students at Carson Academy are 91% African American, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

How many students attend Carson Academy?

In the 2024-25 school year, 326 students attended Carson Academy.

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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.