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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 53562

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Wisconsin rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

1,737

Students

5-star schools

Top rankedPope Farm Elementary47^th of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Sunset Ridge Elementary up 24 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Sauk Trail Elementary 9.1 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

See the top-ranked Wisconsin schools →

Summary:

ZIP code 53562 (Middleton, Wisconsin) contains five public elementary schools — Pope Farm Elementary, Sauk Trail Elementary, Elm Lawn Elementary, Sunset Ridge Elementary, and Northside Elementary — all serving grades PK–4 and all part of the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, which ranks #46 of 432 Wisconsin districts. Combined enrollment is 1,737 students, with individual school sizes ranging from 307 to 448.

Pope Farm Elementary is the standout: ranked #47 of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools (95th percentile, 5 stars) with the highest average proficiency (80.9%), lowest chronic absenteeism (6.3%), and lowest low-income rate (7.81%). Elm Lawn Elementary (#87) and Sunset Ridge Elementary (#84) both rank in the 92nd percentile, with average proficiency of 76.9% and 77.1%. Northside Elementary (#166, 84th percentile) is solid but slipped from 5 stars in 2023-24 to 4 stars in each of the last two years. Sauk Trail Elementary (#469, 55th percentile, 3 stars) is the clear outlier — lowest average proficiency (58.0%), highest chronic absenteeism (12.2%), and highest low-income rate (41.94%) — though it still beats the state average in 5 of 6 tested subjects.

Spending and class size do not track results here: Sauk Trail Elementary spends the most ($21,050 per student) with the smallest classes (9.1 students per teacher) yet posts the lowest scores, while Pope Farm Elementary spends the least ($15,433) with the largest classes (13.8). Every school in this ZIP has chronic absenteeism below both the district (15.4%) and state (17.3%) rates. Average proficiency ranges from 58.0% to 80.9% within the ZIP, but three of the five schools outrank their own district's 89th percentile — making 53562 a concentrated cluster of above-average elementary schools.

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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/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 Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th 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
Sunset Ridge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	8686 Airport Rd	Middleton	53562	Dane County	Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 829-9300	309	26	11.6	9.1%	221 (71.5%)	7 (2.3%)	22 (7.1%)	38 (12.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (6.5%)	85.5	84^th of 1039 public elementary schools	91.9%		84	108^th of 1044 public elementary schools	89.7%	24	73.4	70.5	76.6	82.0	85.3	75.0	$17,785	$403	$17,381
Elm Lawn Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	6701 Woodgate Rd	Middleton	53562	Dane County	Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 829-9070	313	28	11.3	14.7%	224 (71.6%)	19 (6.1%)	27 (8.6%)	24 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (6.1%)	85.3	87^th of 1039 public elementary schools	91.6%		89.7	34^th of 1044 public elementary schools	96.7%	53	71.6	75.7	75.7	80.0	81.4	77.1	$17,665	$787	$16,878
Northside Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	3620 High Rd	Middleton	53562	Dane County	Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 829-9130	307	25	12.4	19.5%	191 (62.2%)	7 (2.3%)	46 (15.0%)	28 (9.1%)	2 (0.7%)	1 (0.3%)	32 (10.4%)	79.6	166^th of 1039 public elementary schools	84.0%		79.8	162^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	84.5%	4	65.7	70.2	70.0	67.2	85.1	73.1	$17,823	$795	$17,029
Sauk Trail Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	2205 Branch St	Middleton	53562	Dane County	Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(608) 829-9190	360	39	9.1	41.9%	164 (45.6%)	38 (10.6%)	100 (27.8%)	30 (8.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (7.8%)	58.4	469^th of 1039 public elementary schools	54.9%		60.6	451^st of 1044 public elementary schools	56.8%	18	47.8	57.7	55.2	56.0	71.4	60.0	$21,050	$1,275	$19,774
Pope Farm Elementary	Public	PK, KG-4	816 Schewe Rd	Middleton	53562	Dane County	Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District	No	No	No	No	(608) 826-7700	448	32	13.8	7.8%	231 (51.6%)	13 (2.9%)	16 (3.6%)	161 (35.9%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (4.7%)	89.2	47^th of 1039 public elementary schools	95.5%		92	17^th of 1044 public elementary schools	98.4%	30	80.6	81.1	84.7	77.8	85.6	75.6	$15,433	$403	$15,030

Cities Near Zip Code 53562

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Middleton	1.11 mi	9	43^rd
Madison	3.5 mi	56	358^th
Verona	4.73 mi	11	117^th
Waunakee	4.87 mi	7	41^st
Cross Plains	5.5 mi	2	18^th

See the top WI Wisconsin cities

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.