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Richards Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

6^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 99% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Richards Elementary is a public elementary school located in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 680 students. It is part of the Whitefish Bay School District, which is ranked 2 out of 426 school districts in Wisconsin and is rated 5 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Richards Elementary has consistently ranked among the top elementary schools in Wisconsin, ranking as high as 6th out of 1,044 schools in the 2024-2025 school year. The school's students have demonstrated exceptional academic achievement, with high proficiency rates in the Forward Exam across various subjects and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 85.86% of 3rd graders, 90.2% of 4th graders, and 88.17% of 5th graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts. Richards Elementary's performance significantly exceeds the state and district averages in all subject areas and grade levels, indicating a high level of academic excellence. The school has also maintained low chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 2.4% to 5.3% in recent years, and a very low percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 0.88% to 1.05% in recent years.

When compared to other schools in the area, Richards Elementary's performance is generally on par with or slightly higher than that of Cumberland Elementary, another high-performing school in the Whitefish Bay School District. However, when compared to schools in other districts, such as Barbee Elementary and Keefe Avenue Elementary in the Milwaukee School District, the academic performance and student demographics of Richards Elementary are vastly superior, highlighting the significant disparities in educational outcomes between high-performing and low-performing schools.

680

Students ?

18.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,208

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%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 96th percentile in 2015 → 99th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (89% vs 54% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 1% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school89%

District avg85%

Wisconsin avg54%

6^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Top 1%▲ up 4 pts since 2015

From top 4% (2015) to top 1% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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

2^nd of 426Whitefish 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)

Male (2025)100th percentile~ school

White (2025)99th percentile~ school

Female (2025)99th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)99th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)97th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)96th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies93%+29 vs state

Mathematics89%+35 vs state

English Language Arts88%+36 vs state

Science87%+36 vs state

★

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Schools Near Richards 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
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%)	95.3	6^th of 1044 public elementary schools	99.4%		95.4	5^th of 1061 public elementary schools	99.5%	1	85.9	90.2	88.2				87.0	92.2	87.1				93.1		87.3		$11,208	$360	$10,848
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)	42.5						46.0										$17,372	$476	$16,896
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%)	89.6	35^th of 1044 public elementary schools	96.6%		93.2	14^th of 1061 public elementary schools	98.7%	21	77.1	88.4	79.0				78.1	82.6	75.0				91.3		71.0		$11,182	$355	$10,828
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%)	2.6	1013^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.0%		5	985^th of 1061 public elementary schools	7.2%	28	11.8	16.7	9.7				11.8	0.0	3.2				16.7		2.8		$16,355	$3,884	$12,471
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%)	91.1	25^th of 1044 public elementary schools	97.6%		92.1	22^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	97.9%	3	90.3	83.3					87.1	76.2					91.7		70.2		$15,168	$515	$14,653
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%)	83.9	110^th of 1044 public elementary schools	89.5%		88.8	47^th of 1061 public elementary schools	95.6%	63	67.6	63.5	76.1	88.7			73.0	67.6	74.6	80.7			89.2		68.9		$13,427	$352	$13,075
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%)	1.5	1036^th of 1044 public elementary schools	0.8%		1.2	1056^th of 1061 public elementary schools	0.5%	20	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.0	8.3	21.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	11.1	15.8	16.7	15.8	$14,680	$2,901	$11,780
Barbee Elementary	Public	PK, KG-7	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%)	6.5	960^th of 1044 public elementary schools	8.0%		8.4	963^rd of 1061 public elementary schools	9.2%	3	20.7	27.3	27.3	14.3	26.3		10.3	4.6	0.0	0.0	33.3		36.4		14.3		$15,006	$3,122	$11,884
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%)	84.2	104^th of 1044 public elementary schools	90.0%		82.2	131^st of 1061 public elementary schools	87.7%	27	77.4	66.2	78.5	70.3			79.3	72.5	66.7	73.4			84.1		75.4		$14,843	$666	$14,176
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%)	1.2	1041^st of 1044 public elementary schools	0.3%		2.7	1022^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	3.7%	19	0.0	0.0	6.3				6.3	0.0	0.0				0.0		0.0		$17,991	$3,814	$14,178

Frequently Asked Questions about Richards Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Richards Elementary?

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

Is Richards Elementary a good school?

Yes! Richards Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 6^th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools.

What district is Richards Elementary in?

Whitefish Bay School District

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

How many students attend Richards Elementary?

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

Rate Richards Elementary!

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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.