Southside Elementary School, Madison WI

Original Research by School Decision on Southside Elementary School

Southside Elementary School is a regular public elementary school in Madison, Wisconsin, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan School District, which covers the state capital and university city.

Madison itself is a fast-growing, mid-sized city with a mixed economy anchored by state government, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, healthcare (UW Health), and major private employers such as Epic Systems and American Family Insurance. The downtown sits on an isthmus between lakes Mendota and Monona, with the State Capitol and the university campus connected by the State Street pedestrian mall. The city is known for its progressive politics, extensive bike paths, high number of parks per capita, and a walkable downtown with a weekly farmers’ market on the Capitol Square. The metro area is expanding, driven by education, healthcare, and technology, and the city recently annexed most of the remaining Town of Madison. Housing in the area is expensive relative to national benchmarks, and the rental market is tight.

Southside Elementary’s student body is diverse. The largest demographic groups are Hispanic and Black students, each making up a substantial share of the school, with a smaller proportion of white students and a modest number of students who identify as two or more races, Asian, or American Indian/Alaska Native. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating significant economic need across the school community.

Academically, the school administers Wisconsin’s Forward assessment in grades three through five for math, English language arts, and in grade four also for science and social studies. Across all tested subjects and grades, the proportion of students scoring at the proficient or advanced level was modest. In third grade math and English language arts, the share reaching proficiency was around one in ten. Fourth grade results were somewhat higher but still below a third of students in math, English language arts, and science; social studies was the only area where about a third met the benchmark. Fifth grade math and English language arts results were the lowest, with proficiency well below one in ten. Participation rates were high, generally near full participation.

When compared to other school districts in Dane County, Southside Elementary’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades falls in the bottom quarter. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Data on chronic absenteeism, staffing, discipline, and programs such as advanced coursework or extracurricular offerings were not available for this profile.

A parent considering Southside Elementary will find a school in a dynamic, growing city with a strongly diverse student body and high economic need. The academic results are low relative to both state benchmarks and other districts in the county, which may merit a conversation with the school about instructional supports, interventions, and how families can partner to improve outcomes. The absence of detailed data on school climate, class size, or enrichment offerings means those aspects would need to be explored directly with the school or district.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 46% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 45% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 27 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 41% · ▼ 34 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 49 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 311%

School 11% · District 47% · ▼ 36 pts below district

▼ 42 pts below state median · ▼ 49 pts below county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 50% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 46% · ▼ 40 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 47 pts below county median

Science

Grade 427%

School 27% · District 47% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 30 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 59% · ▼ 25 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 36 pts below county median

This schoolMadison Metropolitan 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-income7%Higher-income29%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income14%Higher-income47%32 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income3%Higher-income20%17 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income7%Higher-income43%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income17%Higher-income53%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income5%Higher-income17%12 pp gap