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Richards Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

18^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 98% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Richards Elementary is a PK–5 school of about 680 students in the Whitefish Bay School District, located at 5812 N Santa Monica Blvd in the affluent North Shore area of the Milwaukee metro. It is the largest elementary in this comparison group, and its district ranks #6 of 432 Wisconsin districts. Richards has earned 5 stars in every year of its reported history and has never fallen below the 90th percentile statewide. Its statewide rank climbed from #102 (2018-2019) to a peak of #5 of 1,061 (2023-2024), then slipped to #18 of 1,039 (2025-2026) — still 98th percentile. Only Stormonth Elementary (#9) and Cumberland Elementary (#20) rank nearby; the closest other comparison schools are #42 and #93, while its Milwaukee Public Schools counterparts sit between #934 and #1,024.

On the 2025-2026 Forward Exam, Richards beat state proficiency by roughly 33 points in 3rd-grade math and ELA and 33–37 points across most math and reading grades, with science and social studies also far above state averages. Against its own high-performing district, results are strong but not dominant: Richards is above the district average in 3rd- and 4th-grade ELA and math, and below it in 5th-grade ELA (−5.9) and 4th-grade science and social studies. Those two areas are the only soft spots worth watching, though even Richards's lowest score this year comfortably exceeds the best result at any Milwaukee comparison school by more than 40 points.

Two other factors stand out. Chronic absenteeism is just 3.6% — about a fifth of the state rate and in the same band as Atwater Elementary (3.6%) and Lake Bluff Elementary (4.8%). Yet Richards has the largest enrollment, the highest student-to-teacher ratio (18.2), and the lowest per-pupil spending ($11,358) of every school compared — and still outperforms schools spending far more. Subgroup rankings show no visible gaps: special education ranks #41 of 791 (95th percentile) and multi-racial students #2 of 142. Families considering Richards should expect a large, consistently high-performing school with a stable record and very low absenteeism.

680

Students ?

18.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,358

Per pupil spending ?

0.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5812 N Santa Monica Blvd
Whitefish Bay, WI 53217-4699

(414) 963-3951

District: Whitefish Bay School District

Students who attend Richards Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	Whitefish Bay Middle
High:	Whitefish Bay High

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.8%

Two or more races:

10.3%

Hispanic:

5.7%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 93rd percentile in 2016 → 98th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (85% vs 55% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of Wisconsin elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school85%

District avg85%

Wisconsin avg55%

18^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Top 2%▲ up 6 pts since 2016

From top 7% (2016) to top 2% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 2Elementary Schools in the Whitefish Bay School District

6^th of 432Whitefish Bay 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	92.3	18 of 1039	98.3%	★★★★★
2025	95.3	6 of 1044	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	95.4	5 of 1061	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	96.0	8 of 1067	99.3%	★★★★★
2022	90.8	36 of 1067	96.6%	★★★★★
2021	89.5	55 of 1050	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	83.2	102 of 1037	90.2%	★★★★★
2018	88.6	49 of 1025	95.2%	★★★★★
2017	85.6	89 of 1071	91.7%	★★★★★
2016	86.5	79 of 1075	92.7%	★★★★★
2015	86.4	48 of 1076	95.5%	★★★★★
2014	84.1	84 of 1061	92.1%	★★★★★
2013	86.6	40 of 1053	96.2%	★★★★★
2012	83.4	34 of 1045	96.7%	★★★★★
2011	82.0	65 of 1046	93.8%	★★★★★
2010	85.3	27 of 1045	97.4%	★★★★★
2009	82.7	56 of 1030	94.6%	★★★★★
2008	80.9	74 of 1021	92.8%	★★★★★
2006	85.1	44 of 712	93.8%	★★★★★
2005	85.1	26 of 632	95.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	92.1	17 of 986	98.3%	★★★★★
2025	94.5	7 of 1001	99.3%	★★★★★
2024	94.9	6 of 1011	99.4%	★★★★★
2023	95.8	6 of 1010	99.4%	★★★★★
2022	90.1	40 of 1017	96.1%	★★★★★
2021	85.4	81 of 1004	91.9%	★★★★★
2019	82.5	96 of 1002	90.4%	★★★★★
2018	84.0	87 of 997	91.3%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	87.3	29 of 347	91.6%	★★★★★
2025	93.9	12 of 322	96.3%	★★★★★
2022	99.1	2 of 296	99.3%	★★★★★
2019	90.3	17 of 266	93.6%	★★★★★
2018	97.6	2 of 271	99.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	90.6	23 of 989	97.7%	★★★★★
2025	94.4	5 of 1000	99.5%	★★★★★
2024	94.0	5 of 1012	99.5%	★★★★★
2023	94.7	8 of 1011	99.2%	★★★★★
2022	88.7	41 of 1017	96.0%	★★★★★
2021	90.9	36 of 1003	96.4%	★★★★★
2019	81.7	113 of 1002	88.7%	★★★★☆
2018	90.3	30 of 997	97.0%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	93.3	2 of 142	98.6%	★★★★★
2025	94.7	3 of 113	97.3%	★★★★★
2024	94.6	6 of 119	95.0%	★★★★★
2023	94.4	2 of 96	97.9%	★★★★★
2022	77.8	12 of 77	84.4%	★★★★☆
2021	95.4	3 of 85	96.5%	★★★★★
2019	90.5	5 of 76	93.4%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	87.4	41 of 791	94.8%	★★★★★
2025	95.3	12 of 802	98.5%	★★★★★
2024	90.9	35 of 790	95.6%	★★★★★
2023	94.4	9 of 770	98.8%	★★★★★
2022	86.0	43 of 748	94.3%	★★★★★
2021	92.3	20 of 746	97.3%	★★★★★
2019	93.0	12 of 742	98.4%	★★★★★
2018	81.7	60 of 721	91.7%	★★★★★

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	90.3	24 of 697	96.6%	★★★★★
2025	94.3	5 of 718	99.3%	★★★★★
2024	95.1	5 of 727	99.3%	★★★★★
2023	94.4	10 of 715	98.6%	★★★★★
2022	88.2	36 of 704	94.9%	★★★★★
2021	86.5	43 of 699	93.8%	★★★★★
2019	81.9	79 of 718	89.0%	★★★★☆
2018	86.7	47 of 686	93.1%	★★★★★

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)

Multi-racial (2026)99th percentile~ school

Female (2026)98th percentile~ school

Male (2026)98th percentile~ school

White (2026)97th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)95th percentile-3 vs school

Hispanic (2026)92nd percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics86%+32 vs state

Social Studies85%+20 vs state

English Language Arts85%+32 vs state

Science80%+27 vs state

★

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Schools Near Richards 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 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)		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/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Richards Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5812 N Santa Monica Blvd	Whitefish Bay	53217	Milwaukee County	Whitefish Bay School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 963-3951	680	37	18.2		536 (78.8%)	5 (0.7%)	39 (5.7%)	30 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (10.3%)	92.3	18^th of 1039 public elementary schools	98.3%		95.3	6^th of 1044 public elementary schools	99.4%	12	88.9	86.9	78.6				88.0	83.2	85.4				85.1		80.4		$11,358	$346	$11,013
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										$18,397	$580	$17,818
Cumberland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4780 N Marlborough Dr	Whitefish Bay	53211	Milwaukee County	Whitefish Bay School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 963-3943	624	38	16.3		481 (77.1%)	23 (3.7%)	33 (5.3%)	40 (6.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.4%)	92.1	20^th of 1039 public elementary schools	98.1%		89.6	35^th of 1044 public elementary schools	96.6%	15	78.5	80.0	93.1				81.4	81.0	86.1				92.0		85.0		$11,935	$380	$11,555
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		$20,235	$3,325	$16,910
Stormonth Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	7301 N Longacre Rd	Milwaukee	53217	Milwaukee County	Fox Point J2 School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 247-4102	473	37	12.7	6.3%	378 (79.9%)	12 (2.5%)	29 (6.1%)	16 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	36 (7.6%)	94.2	9^th of 1039 public elementary schools	99.1%		91.1	25^th of 1044 public elementary schools	97.6%	16	93.2	91.9					87.5	82.8					91.9		85.9		$17,048	$559	$16,488
Lake Bluff Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1600 E Lake Bluff Blvd	Shorewood	53211	Milwaukee County	Shorewood School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 963-6972	531	32	16.4	16.6%	343 (64.6%)	41 (7.7%)	58 (10.9%)	24 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (12.2%)	85.1	93^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	91.0%		83.9	110^th of 1044 public elementary schools	89.5%	17	73.3	76.7	75.0	79.7			83.3	65.8	66.2	79.7			84.9		72.6		$13,117	$304	$12,813
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	$20,831	$3,159	$17,672
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	$20,127	$2,855	$17,273
Atwater Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2100 E Capitol Dr	Shorewood	53211	Milwaukee County	Shorewood School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 963-6962	474	33	14.1	24.3%	301 (63.5%)	67 (14.1%)	37 (7.8%)	34 (7.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.5%)	89.3	42^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	96.0%		84.2	104^th of 1044 public elementary schools	90.0%	62	84.8	76.8	76.5	83.6			82.0	75.0	75.4	83.6			82.1		80.4		$14,818	$604	$14,215
Keefe Avenue Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1618 W Keefe Ave	Milwaukee	53206	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 267-4800	125	8	15.2	96.8%	1 (0.8%)	107 (85.6%)	9 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.0%)	2.1	1024^th of 1039 public elementary schools	1.4%		1.2	1041^st of 1044 public elementary schools	0.3%	17	0.0	0.0	25.0				0.0	0.0	0.0				0.0		0.0		$22,493	$2,937	$19,556

Frequently Asked Questions about Richards Elementary

Is Richards Elementary a good school?

Yes! Richards Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 18^th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Richards Elementary?

Students at Richards Elementary are 79% White, 10% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic, 4% Asian.

How many students attend Richards Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 680 students attended Richards Elementary.

What schools do graduates of Richards Elementary attend?

Students who attend Richards Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Whitefish Bay Middle
High : Whitefish Bay High

What district is Richards Elementary in?

Whitefish Bay School District

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresNewOct 1, 2026

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

2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2024–25 ACT & Forward Exam scoresSep 25, 2025

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.