Kennedy Elementary, Grafton WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Kennedy Elementary

Kennedy Elementary is a regular public school in Grafton, Wisconsin, serving children from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of two elementary schools in the Grafton School District, and its students feed into John Long Middle School and then Grafton High School. The school occupies a campus in a residential area of the village, which sits roughly 20 miles north of Milwaukee in Ozaukee County.

Academically, Kennedy posts strong results on Wisconsin's Forward assessments, particularly in the earlier tested grades. Third graders showed high proficiency in both math and English language arts. Fourth-grade results dipped somewhat in math and ELA compared to the third-grade cohort, though fourth-grade social studies proficiency was strong. Fifth graders rebounded in math and held steady in ELA. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index lands above the midpoint relative to other districts in Ozaukee County, placing it on the stronger side of the comparison set. Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was available in this profile. Families looking for a straightforward academic picture will find consistent, above-average performance with a typical fourth-grade soft spot that may be worth asking the school about.

The student body is predominantly white, with a notable Asian population and smaller shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and Black students. The share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively low, reflecting the community’s economic profile. Enrollment is substantial for an elementary school, with each grade from kindergarten through fourth grade having a solid cohort; prekindergarten also draws a sizable group. Special education and English learner counts were not available in this data, so families with children in those categories should reach out to the school directly for details on services.

Grafton itself is a post-World War II suburban village that grew rapidly as Milwaukee-oriented subdivisions spread outward. Today it has two distinct commercial strips: a historic downtown along the Milwaukee River and a newer big-box retail corridor near the Interstate 43 interchange. The village maintains an extensive park system, a public golf course, a pool, and the Ozaukee Interurban Trail, which connects Grafton to neighboring communities by foot and bike. Major employers include a hospital, manufacturing firms, retail outlets, and the school district itself. Housing values in the area are above national and state benchmarks, and rents are similarly elevated, which matches the low FRPL share and signals a generally affluent parent community.

The Grafton School District recently completed a major facilities referendum approved by voters in late 2022, funding renovations and improvements across all four of its schools, including Kennedy Elementary. That investment means the physical plant has likely seen recent upgrades, a concrete benefit for current and incoming families. The village is also in the process of updating its comprehensive plan, which will guide growth, preservation, and redevelopment out to the middle of the century.

For a parent or resident assessing fit, Kennedy Elementary offers a strong academic foundation in an affluent, suburban community with good parks and recreational amenities. The school’s performance is solid across the board, with a clear strength in the early grades. The elementary-only structure means children will transition to a middle school after fifth grade, which is typical for the district. The lack of program details in this profile means families interested in specialized offerings such as music, art, or enrichment should check the school’s website or arrange a visit. Overall, Kennedy is a well-supported neighborhood school in a district that has recently committed resources to its facilities, serving a community with stable housing and a regional employment base.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 389%

School 89% · District 86% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 471%

School 71% · District 73% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 79% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 388%

School 88% · District 87% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 471%

School 71% · District 71%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 78% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 23 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 68% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 484%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

This schoolGrafton School District, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income92%38 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income53%Higher-income75%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income80%Higher-income72%8 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income36%Higher-income96%60 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income78%38 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income70%Higher-income76%6 pp gap