Summary:
ZIP code 53404 in Racine, Wisconsin contains four elementary schools — three in Racine Unified School District and one charter school in Racine Charter One Inc — serving a combined 2,266 students across grades PK–5 and PK–8.
Gilmore Fine Arts School (737 students, PK–8) is the relative standout: it has the highest enrollment, the best 2025–26 rank (881 of 1,039, 15th percentile), the only 1-star rating in the group, the lowest chronic absenteeism at 19.9%, the lowest free/reduced lunch rate at 55.36%, a 0.0% dropout rate, and the highest proficiency averages in every subject. Even so, it falls below state averages in every subject and has slipped from the 25th percentile in 2023–24 to 15th in 2025–26. 21st Century Preparatory School (438 students, PK–8) faces the most acute challenges: the highest chronic absenteeism at 45.9%, a 2.2% dropout rate (double the state's 1.1%), the highest student-teacher ratio at 18.2, and 0% proficiency in 4th grade math and science.
Julian Thomas Elementary (574 students) posts the lowest overall proficiency in the group — ELA 11.9%, Math 10.6%, Social Studies 23.1%, Science 16.7% — along with the highest free/reduced lunch rate (81.71%) and 40.0% chronic absenteeism. Wadewitz Elementary (517 students) has the highest per-student spending among the Racine Unified schools at $21,740, yet its science proficiency fell from 20.0% to 9.72% and its overall average dropped from about 23.5% to 16.8%. Every school here is below state proficiency averages in every subject, and all rank in the bottom 5–15% of Wisconsin elementary schools; chronic absenteeism, which runs 38–46% at three of the four schools against a state rate of 17.3%, tracks closely with the lowest achievement.
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