Is Northern Lights Elementary a good school?

Northern Lights Elementary ranks in the bottom 19.8% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

How many students attend Northern Lights Elementary?

In the 2022-23 school year, 491 students attended Northern Lights Elementary.

What is the racial makeup of Northern Lights Elementary?

Students at Northern Lights Elementary are 71% White, 15% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 4% African American, 3% American Indian.

What schools do graduates of Northern Lights Elementary attend?

Students who attend Northern Lights Elementary usually go on to attend: Middle : Superior Middle High : Superior High

Northern Lights Elementary

Public PK, KG-5

1201 N 28th St
Superior, WI 54880

(715) 395-6066

District: Superior School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
856^th of 1,067 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,551

Students who attend Northern Lights Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Superior Middle
High:	Superior High

Student/teacher ratio: 14.8

Number of students: 491

Racial breakdown:

White:

71.1%

Two or more races:

15.5%

Hispanic:

4.9%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 68.2%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Northern Lights Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Northern Lights Elementary ranks worse than 80.2% of elementary schools in Wisconsin. It also ranks last among 6 ranked elementary schools in the Superior School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 26.18. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.

Student Body

Compare Details Northern Lights Elementary has the largest elementary school student body size in the Superior School District. Racial makeup is: White (71.1%), two or more races (15.5%), Hispanic (4.9%). (See more...)

Compare Details 68.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the highest percentage in the Superior School District. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Northern Lights Elementary is 14.8, which is the 3^rd best among 6 elementary schools in the Superior School District. (See more...)

Compare Northern Lights Elementary employs 33 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Northern Lights Elementary is $14,551, which is the highest among 7 elementary schools in the Superior School District!

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Northern Lights Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Northern Lights Elementary 856^th of 1067 Wisconsin public elementary schools. (See Northern Lights Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Multi-racial students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

White students:

Superior School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Superior School District 288^th of 424 Wisconsin school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Northern Lights Elementary.

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Your rating for Northern Lights Elementary?

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Rank History for Northern Lights Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Northern Lights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2004	11.71	569^th	633	10.1%
2005	15.86	550^th	632	13.0%
2006	24.29	595^th	712	16.4%
2007	19.32	606^th	689	12.0%
2008	21.51	902^nd	1021	11.7%
2009	41.36	756^th	1030	26.6%
2010	50.67	664^th	1045	36.5%
2011	25.24	911^th	1046	12.9%
2012	25.32	902^nd	1045	13.7%
2013	39.55	759^th	1053	27.9%
2014	44.26	706^th	1061	33.5%
2015	29.40	871^st	1076	19.1%
2016	32.09	809^th	1075	24.7%
2017	39.71	721^st	1071	32.7%
2018	29.10	812^th	1025	20.8%
2019	30.53	791^st	1037	23.7%
2021	24.07	849^th	1050	19.1%
2022	19.82	900^th	1067	15.7%
2023	26.18	856^th	1067	19.8%

See the entire list of Wisconsin Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Northern Lights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	20.78	60^th	67	10.4%
2019	47.75	38^th	76	50.0%
2021	23.10	70^th	85	17.6%
2022	33.13	47^th	77	39.0%
2023	42.36	52^nd	96	45.8%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Northern Lights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	47.13	368^th	721	49.0%
2019	43.72	384^th	742	48.2%
2021	36.96	473^rd	746	36.6%
2022	20.47	654^th	748	12.6%
2023	22.32	647^th	770	16.0%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Northern Lights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	38.30	592^nd	854	30.7%
2019	36.21	613^th	874	29.9%
2021	31.88	630^th	847	25.6%
2022	22.63	734^th	859	14.6%
2023	26.55	716^th	871	17.8%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Northern Lights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	28.87	796^th	997	20.2%
2019	33.88	737^th	1002	26.4%
2021	23.33	827^th	1004	17.6%
2022	20.04	863^rd	1017	15.1%
2023	22.49	835^th	1010	17.3%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Northern Lights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	32.30	780^th	997	21.8%
2019	30.50	776^th	1002	22.6%
2021	28.49	783^rd	1003	21.9%
2022	22.96	838^th	1017	17.6%
2023	33.04	739^th	1011	26.9%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Northern Lights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2018	23.75	138^th	165	16.4%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Northern Lights Elementary

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	WI State Percentile
2018	18.57	616^th	686	10.2%
2019	13.71	656^th	718	8.6%
2021	10.32	672^nd	699	3.9%
2022	8.36	681^st	704	3.3%
2023	12.83	674^th	715	5.7%

See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)

50%

Reviews:

by a parent on FaceBook
Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Teachers, administrators, and other staff at Northern Lights (from the Engineers and custodians to food service and tutors) work as a cohesive team with parents to provide the best possible educational and developmental environment for all students.

I was initially intimidated by the size of the school (over 650 students at the time my children enrolled) and the socio-economic demographic served. I have since seen the benefits of a system that allows grade levels some isolation while integrating multi-age classes and encouraging diversity (and acceptance, not just tolerance).

Northern Lights prepares students to succeed in Middle School by building their academic foundation while teaching them to exist in larger society. Close Quote

Enrollment information for Northern Lights Elementary

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2002	566	17	28	5	29	n/a	n/a	645
2003	566	17	28	5	29	n/a	n/a	645
2004	555	24	22	10	32	n/a	n/a	643
2005	539	17	22	10	40	n/a	n/a	628
2006	533	27	26	8	31	n/a	n/a	625
2007	746	22	24	8	34	n/a	n/a	834
2008	776	31	19	17	38	n/a	n/a	881
2009	776	44	17	14	52	n/a	n/a	903
2010	571	45	18	13	53	n/a	n/a	700
2011	483	56	10	16	55	0	0	620
2012	495	45	9	16	45	0	30	640
2013	469	33	6	12	22	0	36	578
2014	488	30	6	10	22	0	41	597
2015	484	34	6	10	22	0	57	613
2016	467	29	6	15	11	0	71	599
2017	496	31	7	17	14	0	64	629
2018	459	29	8	20	16	0	70	602
2019	438	30	6	21	9	0	77	581
2020	407	19	6	23	12	0	82	549
2021	378	15	4	18	8	0	63	486
2022	337	8	5	17	10	0	65	442
2023	349	21	4	24	17	0	76	491

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Northern Lights Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	645	48.8	13.2	67.8
2003	645	48.8	13.2	67.8
2004	643	51.0	12.6	57.5
2005	628	50.0	12.6	n/a
2006	625	52.5	11.9	n/a
2007	834	50.0	16.7	51
2008	881	50.0	17.6	42.5
2009	903	49.5	18.2	49.4
2010	700	50.0	14.0	64
2011	620	47.0	13.1	72.1
2012	640	42.0	15.2	74.2
2013	578	44.0	13.1	71.5
2014	597	44.0	13.5	67.5
2015	613	n/a	n/a	73.4
2016	599	44.0	13.6	70.8
2017	629	43.7	14.3	66.8
2018	602	45.7	13.1	63.6
2019	581	42.1	13.7	70.1
2020	549	41.6	13.1	72.9
2021	486	40.0	12.1	75.3
2022	442	37.9	11.6	67.6
2023	491	33.0	14.8	68.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Northern Lights Elementary

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2002	645	48.8	13.2	67.8
2003	645	48.8	13.2	67.8
2004	643	51.0	12.6	57.5
2005	628	50.0	12.6	n/a
2006	625	52.5	11.9	n/a
2007	834	50.0	16.7	51
2008	881	50.0	17.6	42.5
2009	903	49.5	18.2	49.4
2010	700	50.0	14.0	64
2011	620	47.0	13.1	72.1
2012	640	42.0	15.2	74.2
2013	578	44.0	13.1	71.5
2014	597	44.0	13.5	67.5
2015	613	n/a	n/a	73.4
2016	599	44.0	13.6	70.8
2017	629	43.7	14.3	66.8
2018	602	45.7	13.1	63.6
2019	581	42.1	13.7	70.1
2020	549	41.6	13.1	72.9
2021	486	40.0	12.1	75.3
2022	442	37.9	11.6	67.6
2023	491	33.0	14.8	68.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Northern Lights Elementary

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$253 (2.1%)	$11,960 (97.9%)	$12,213
2020	$597 (4.6%)	$12,433 (95.4%)	$13,030
2021	$1,120 (7.7%)	$13,431 (92.3%)	$14,551

Data source: Wisconsin Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Northern Lights Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 791^st of 1037 Elementary schools	Ranks 856^th of 1067 Elementary schools	3.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Northern Lights Elementary)	34.8	41.2	6.4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Superior School District)	38.4	37.2	1.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)	39.5	37.9	1.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Northern Lights Elementary)	41.3	39.1	2.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Superior School District)	54.1	42.9	11.2%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)	50.5	48.8	1.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Northern Lights Elementary)	30.3	34.9	4.6%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Superior School District)	46	52.3	6.3%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)	43.9	45.8	1.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Northern Lights Elementary)	22.5	19.1	3.4%
4th Grade Mathematics (Superior School District)	42.6	41.4	1.1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)	46.2	46.5	0.2%
4th Grade Social Studies (Northern Lights Elementary)	50.6	41	9.6%
4th Grade Social Studies (Superior School District)	59.6	60.1	0.4%
4th Grade Social Studies (Wisconsin)	53.4	59.7	6.4%
4th Grade Science (Northern Lights Elementary)	43.8	31.2	12.7%
4th Grade Science (Superior School District)	57.5	53.4	4.1%
4th Grade Science (Wisconsin)	53.9	52.1	1.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Northern Lights Elementary)	33.7	21.4	12.2%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Superior School District)	46.6	36.9	9.7%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)	40.9	39.2	1.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Northern Lights Elementary)	29.8	17.9	12%
5th Grade Mathematics (Superior School District)	42.4	41.5	0.9%
5th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)	47.8	48.4	0.5%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	581	491	15.5%
African American	30	21	30%
American Indian	9	17	88.9%
Asian	6	4	33.3%
Hispanic	21	24	14.3%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	438	349	20.3%
Two or More Races	77	76	1.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	70.1%	68.2%	1.8%

Schools Near Northern Lights Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2023)			Forward Exam Mathematics (2023)			Forward Exam Social Studies (2023)	Forward Exam Science (2023)	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 (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	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
Northern Lights Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1201 N 28th St	Superior	54880	Douglas County	Superior School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(715) 395-6066	491	33	14.8	68.2%	349 (71.1%)	21 (4.3%)	24 (4.9%)	4 (0.8%)	17 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	76 (15.5%)	26.2	856^th of 1067 public elementary schools	19.8%		19.8	900^th of 1067 public elementary schools	15.7%	44	41.2	34.9	21.4	39.1	19.1	17.9	41.0	31.2	$14,551	$1,120	$13,431
Superior Community Preschool	Public	PK	3025 Tower Ave	Superior	54880	Douglas County	Superior School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(715) 394-8700	91	4	21.9	51.6%	72 (79.1%)	4 (4.4%)	4 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (11.0%)								(n/a)									$5,350	$817	$4,533
Great Lakes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	129 N 28th St E	Superior	54880	Douglas County	Superior School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(715) 395-8500	388	23	16.6	40.2%	317 (81.7%)	15 (3.9%)	7 (1.8%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	41 (10.6%)	71.2	274^th of 1067 public elementary schools	74.3%		65	363^rd of 1067 public elementary schools	66.0%	89	50.0	71.7	40.6	54.2	58.3	59.4	71.7	58.3	$11,604	$646	$10,958
Cooper Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1807 Missouri Ave	Superior	54880	Douglas County	Superior School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(715) 394-8790	341	24	14.1	45.5%	274 (80.4%)	9 (2.6%)	14 (4.1%)	5 (1.5%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (10.6%)	45.6	654^th of 1067 public elementary schools	38.7%		48.1	618^th of 1067 public elementary schools	42.1%	36	27.9	42.0	48.0	32.6	40.0	58.0	46.0	48.0	$13,197	$648	$12,549
Bryant Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1423 Central Ave	Superior	54880	Douglas County	Superior School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(715) 394-8785	291	19	15.4	53.6%	257 (88.3%)	7 (2.4%)	11 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.1%)	64.2	392^nd of 1067 public elementary schools	63.3%		59.4	462^nd of 1067 public elementary schools	56.7%	70	41.3	56.5	42.6	60.9	47.8	38.3	67.4	73.9	$13,664	$1,092	$12,572
Lake Superior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6200 E 3rd St	Superior	54880	Douglas County	Superior School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(715) 398-7672	151	10	15.5	44.4%	119 (78.8%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (13.2%)	51.8	585^th of 1067 public elementary schools	45.2%		43.9	678^th of 1067 public elementary schools	36.5%	93	4.8	56.0	36.4	14.3	52.0	36.4	84.0	68.0	$14,540	$1,057	$13,483
Four Corners Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4465 E County Road B	Superior	54880	Douglas County	Superior School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(715) 399-8911	193	15	13.2	24.9%	172 (89.1%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.7%)	54.9	540^th of 1067 public elementary schools	49.4%		56.1	506^th of 1067 public elementary schools	52.6%	34	37.0	55.0	42.4	40.7	40.0	48.5	65.0	52.5	$13,237	$874	$12,363
Northwestern Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	10465 E US Highway 2	Poplar	54864	Douglas County	Maple School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(715) 364-8465	527	31	17.0	38.7%	489 (92.8%)	2 (0.4%)	10 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.0%)	53	571^st of 1067 public elementary schools	46.5%		50	594^th of 1067 public elementary schools	44.3%	23	53.7	40.6	37.8	49.3	39.1	56.7	53.1	43.8	$11,528	$729	$10,800

Northern Lights Elementary

Northern Lights Elementary:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Superior School District:

Average Parent Rating:

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Rank History for Northern Lights Elementary

Rank History for all students at Northern Lights Elementary

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Northern Lights Elementary

Rank History for Special Education students at Northern Lights Elementary

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Northern Lights Elementary

Rank History for Female students at Northern Lights Elementary

Rank History for Male students at Northern Lights Elementary

Rank History for African American students at Northern Lights Elementary

Rank History for White students at Northern Lights Elementary

Review counts

Enrollment information for Northern Lights Elementary

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Northern Lights Elementary

Student/Teacher Ratio Northern Lights Elementary

Per Pupil Expenditures for Northern Lights Elementary

Impact of COVID-19 on Northern Lights Elementary

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Northern Lights Elementary

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern Lights Elementary

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