Lake View Elementary, Madison WI

Original Research by School Decision on Lake View Elementary

Lake View Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Madison, Wisconsin. It sits within the Madison Metropolitan School District, a large urban district that covers much of the state capital. Madison itself is a fast-growing city built around government, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, healthcare, and technology. The school’s location in a residential area of the city places it within a diverse, mixed-income community where housing values and rents are above the national average, reflecting the broader Madison market. A substantial majority of students at Lake View qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic circumstances many families bring to the school.

The student body is notably diverse by race and ethnicity, with no single group holding a majority. Asian students form the largest share, followed by Hispanic students, Black students, students who identify as two or more races, and White students. This composition gives the school a genuinely multi-ethnic peer environment, one that reflects the broader demographic changes in the district and city.

On the Wisconsin Forward assessments, which measure proficiency in math, English language arts, science, and social studies, Lake View’s results place it among the lowest-performing schools in Dane County when compared across all tested subjects and grades. Proficiency rates in math ranged roughly from a fifth to a third of students across grades three through five. In English language arts, the pattern was inconsistent: fourth grade had a relatively stronger showing, with about half of students meeting the bar, while fifth grade fell well short of that. Third grade sat in between. Science results for fourth grade also showed a modest share of students proficient. The one subject where the school stood apart was social studies: a clear majority of fourth graders reached proficiency, the strongest result for any tested subject or grade. Still, the overall picture is one of an elementary school where the majority of students are not reaching state benchmarks in core subjects. Parents assessing the school’s academic pathway may want to ask what strategies the school uses for students performing below grade level and whether targeted supports are available.

Because Lake View is a K–5 school, it does not report a graduation rate or high school metrics. There are no data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing in this record, so the full picture of school climate is not available here. The school is not a charter, and its Title I status was not listed. It operates as a regular neighborhood elementary school within the Madison district.

The housing market in the surrounding zip code is expensive relative to Wisconsin as a whole, though slightly below the national median. Home values have risen modestly year over year, and rents have increased as well. For families considering this area, the cost of housing is a significant factor.

In short, Lake View Elementary serves a high-poverty, racially diverse student population in a growing and economically vibrant city. Its academic achievement, as measured by state tests, is low compared to other Dane County schools, except in fourth-grade social studies. A parent evaluating this school will want to look carefully at how the school supports students who are below grade level and whether the broader district’s initiatives—such as building construction or program investments—are reaching this campus. The school’s diversity is a strength for families who value that environment, but the academic outcomes suggest that not all students are currently being served at a proficient level in the core subjects.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 322%

School 22% · District 46% · ▼ 24 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Grade 434%

School 34% · District 45% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 41% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 47% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 50% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 520%

School 20% · District 46% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Science

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 47% · ▼ 21 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 59% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▼ 10 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-income25%Higher-income56%31 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income50%0 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income36%22 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income14%Higher-income56%42 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income28%Higher-income50%22 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income25%Higher-income36%11 pp gap