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Thurston Woods Elementary

Q: Is Thurston Woods Elementary a good school?

Thurston Woods Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.6% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Thurston Woods Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 256 students attended Thurston Woods Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Thurston Woods Elementary?

Students at Thurston Woods Elementary are 89% African American, 8% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Q: What schools do graduates of Thurston Woods Elementary attend?

Students who attend Thurston Woods 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 : Carmen Mid/High Northwest Campus High : King International High : Milwaukee High School of the Arts High : Milwaukee School of Languages High : Reagan College Preparatory High

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1002^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 4% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Thurston Woods Elementary is a PK–8 school in the Milwaukee School District, located at 5966 N 35th St, Milwaukee, enrolling 256 students in a very high-poverty neighborhood. Statewide, it has ranked at or near the bottom for a decade: in 2025–2026 it was 1002nd of 1039 (4th percentile, 0 stars), and from 2015–2016 through 2024–2025 it never exceeded the 4th percentile or earned a star. In 2023–2024 it ranked 1056th of 1061 (0 percentile).

Math is the clearest academic weakness. In 2024–2025, every reported grade 3–8 at Thurston Woods Elementary had 0% proficient in math. In 2025–2026, math proficiency was 0% in grades 3, 4, 5, and 8; 3.33% in grade 6; and 15% in grade 7. The district ranged from about 17.7% to 23.8%, and the state ranged from about 51.8% to 55.7%. English language arts also trails: 2025–2026 grade-level proficiency was 0% (grade 3), 28.57% (grade 4), 0% (grade 5), 6.67% (grade 6), 15% (grade 7), and 8.33% (grade 8). Nearby schools such as Hampton Elementary, Barbee Elementary, and Rocketship Transformation Prep posted at least some double-digit math proficiency in multiple grades. Chronic absenteeism is 62.4% in 2024–2025, far above the district’s 46.2% and the state’s 17.3%, and nearly the highest among nearby schools; only Kilbourn Elementary was slightly higher at 62.9%. For comparison, Barbee Elementary had 33.0% chronic absenteeism, and Parkway Elementary had 7.4%.

Resources are not obviously worse than nearby MPS peers: per-student spending was $20,831 in 2024–2025, up from $12,361 in 2019–2020, and the student-teacher ratio was 17. Poverty is high at 92.58% free/reduced lunch, similar to Hampton Elementary and Barbee Elementary, yet Hampton Elementary and Barbee Elementary rank higher—both reached 1 star and about the 10th percentile in 2025–2026. Subgroup results are also at or near the bottom. There are isolated gains, such as grade 4 ELA at 28.57% and grade 8 social studies rising from 15.79% to 27.27%, but they are small and uneven. Overall, the school remains in a long-term bottom-tier pattern with severe math underperformance and high absenteeism.

256

Students ?

17.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,831

Per pupil spending ?

92.6%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

26%

Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements (2025-26)

5966 N 35th St
Milwaukee, WI 53209-4055

(414) 393-2800

District: Milwaukee School District

Students who attend Thurston Woods Elementary usually attend:

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

Racial breakdown:

African American:

88.7%

Hispanic:

8.2%

Two or more races:

3.1%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Thurston Woods Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 2nd percentile in 2016 → 4th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (9% vs 55% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (4th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (62% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school9%

District avg25%

Wisconsin avg55%

Elementary school

1,002^nd of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 4%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

619^th of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▲ up 3 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

72^nd 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	2.9	1002 of 1039	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.5	1036 of 1044	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.2	1056 of 1061	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.7	1048 of 1067	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.5	1055 of 1067	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.7	1025 of 1050	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.1	1016 of 1037	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.1	1002 of 1025	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.7	1039 of 1071	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.5	1053 of 1075	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.5	1045 of 1076	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.0	1038 of 1061	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	1.7	1038 of 1053	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.6	1011 of 1045	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	0.9	1032 of 1046	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	2.6	1020 of 1045	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	0.9	1018 of 1030	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.5	1014 of 1021	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.2	659 of 689	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.0	678 of 712	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	15.6	551 of 632	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	5.8	595 of 633	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	5.4	929 of 986	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.5	998 of 1001	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.6	1004 of 1011	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.1	998 of 1010	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.8	1012 of 1017	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.3	980 of 1004	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.5	983 of 1002	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.3	982 of 997	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	2.4	974 of 989	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	1.2	998 of 1000	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.8	1006 of 1012	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.9	982 of 1011	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.7	989 of 1017	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.2	967 of 1003	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.3	974 of 1002	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.9	958 of 997	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	9.2	801 of 802	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.0	773 of 790	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	16.8	708 of 746	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.2	728 of 742	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.7	716 of 721	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	2.5	619 of 643	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.6	606 of 628	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.2	620 of 641	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.3	634 of 640	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.9	586 of 617	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.9	593 of 613	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.1	573 of 594	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.5	551 of 579	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.7	591 of 612	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.2	604 of 609	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.1	587 of 612	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.7	573 of 585	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	2.1	552 of 569	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.1	553 of 559	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.2	539 of 549	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	0.6	533 of 539	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	1.9	508 of 521	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.4	513 of 519	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	3.2	349 of 366	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	3.5	359 of 382	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	5.7	529 of 572	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.5	562 of 573	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.1	543 of 580	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.8	570 of 579	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.1	552 of 576	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.3	571 of 574	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.7	532 of 557	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.2	509 of 551	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2018	9.2	472 of 489	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	3.0	560 of 575	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.7	548 of 577	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.4	572 of 585	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.7	588 of 591	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.8	543 of 577	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.0	537 of 572	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.4	535 of 557	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.3	526 of 551	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	12.6	408 of 425	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.9	435 of 439	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	48.7	192 of 421	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	22.4	369 of 437	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.5	410 of 414	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.6	406 of 417	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

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

Female (2026)6th percentile~ school

Male (2026)2nd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Middle school

Female (2026)8th percentile+4 vs school

Special Education (2024)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2018)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies24%-41 vs state

Science16%-37 vs state

English Language Arts10%-44 vs state

Mathematics4%-50 vs state

★

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Schools Near Thurston Woods 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
Thurston Woods Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	5966 N 35th St	Milwaukee	53209	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-2800	256	15	17.0	92.6%	0 (0.0%)	227 (88.7%)	21 (8.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.1%)	2.9	1002^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	3.6%		1.5	1036^th of 1044 public elementary schools	0.8%	34	0.0	28.6	0.0	6.7	15.0	8.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	15.0	0.0	21.4	27.3	21.4	9.1	26%		$20,831	$3,159	$17,672
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
Parkway Elementary	Public	PK, KG-3	5910 N Milwaukee River Pkwy	Glendale	53209	Milwaukee County	Glendale-River Hills School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 351-7190	490	40	12.4	38.0%	208 (42.4%)	162 (33.1%)	43 (8.8%)	19 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (11.8%)								(n/a)	45.5						45.5										54%		$18,397	$580	$17,818
Pratt Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5131 N Green Bay Ave	Milwaukee	53209	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 247-7300	288	16	18.5	88.9%	3 (1.0%)	259 (89.9%)	14 (4.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (3.5%)	3	999^th of 1039 public elementary schools	3.8%		2.6	1013^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.0%	14	2.9	6.5	18.2				14.7	9.7	9.1				16.1		6.5		73%		$20,235	$3,325	$16,910
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
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
Browning Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5440 N 64th St	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-5200	279	18	15.6	90.7%	3 (1.1%)	252 (90.3%)	18 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	2.2	1019^th of 1039 public elementary schools	1.9%		2.4	1016^th of 1044 public elementary schools	2.7%	3	9.8	6.3	8.3				14.6	2.1	6.1				17.0		4.2		69%		$21,790	$2,861	$18,929
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
Barbee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	4456 N Teutonia Ave	Milwaukee	53209	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 874-5600	289	18	16.5	86.2%	25 (8.7%)	226 (78.2%)	15 (5.2%)	3 (1.0%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.5%)	9.7	934^th of 1039 public elementary schools	10.1%		6.5	960^th of 1044 public elementary schools	8.0%	26	12.0	34.6	36.4	30.0	21.4	40.0	8.0	11.5	0.0	0.0	14.3	25.0	46.2	26.7	19.2	6.7	73%		$20,127	$2,855	$17,273
Kilbourn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5354 N 68th St	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-4500	218	13	16.8	91.3%	2 (0.9%)	187 (85.8%)	18 (8.3%)	5 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.8%)	2.6	1012^th of 1039 public elementary schools	2.6%		23.1	852^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	18.4%	160	9.1	4.0	19.1				0.0	4.0	14.3				4.0		8.0		80%		$21,690	$2,734	$18,956

Frequently Asked Questions about Thurston Woods Elementary

Is Thurston Woods Elementary a good school?

Thurston Woods Elementary ranks in the bottom 3.6% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Thurston Woods Elementary?

Students at Thurston Woods Elementary are 89% African American, 8% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Thurston Woods Elementary attend?

Students who attend Thurston Woods 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 : Carmen Mid/High Northwest Campus
High : King International
High : Milwaukee High School of the Arts
High : Milwaukee School of Languages
High : Reagan College Preparatory High

What district is Thurston Woods Elementary in?

Milwaukee School District

How many students attend Thurston Woods Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 256 students attended Thurston Woods Elementary.

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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.