Shorewood Hills Elementary, Madison WI

Original Research by School Decision on Shorewood Hills Elementary

Shorewood Hills Elementary sits in a residential neighborhood on Madison’s near west side, serving students from four-year-old kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Madison Metropolitan School District. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and the data does not indicate Title I status. It is a small elementary by enrollment, with student numbers distributed fairly evenly across kindergarten through fifth grade and a smaller pre-K group.

Academically, the school stands out. On the state Forward assessments, Shorewood Hills posted proficiency rates that were very high across all tested grades and subjects. In reading, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced was strong in third, fourth, and fifth grades. In math, the results were similarly high across those same grade levels. Science and social studies, tested only in fourth grade, also showed strong proficiency. The school’s overall academic performance, when combined across all subjects and grades, placed it in the top quarter of elementary schools relative to other districts in Dane County. The gap between this school and the county median is wide.

The student body is diverse but not low-income in a way that many public schools are. A relatively small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the largest group is white students, followed by Asian students. Hispanic students, students of two or more races, Black students, and American Indian or Alaska Native students each make up a smaller portion of the enrollment. The data does not include counts or rates for students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent who needs that information should ask the school directly.

There are no high school grades here, so there is no graduation rate to report. The school does not offer high school programs, AP courses, or career pathways, as it serves only elementary-aged children. The data does not include information on discipline, attendance, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or course access, all of which could matter for a family choosing a school. A parent may want to look into those areas further with the school or district.

Madison itself is a growing state capital and university city. The local economy is anchored by the University of Wisconsin, state government, healthcare through UW Health, and technology companies including Epic Systems. The school’s neighborhood, Shorewood Hills, is a mature, tree-lined village that borders the university’s west side and Lake Mendota. Housing values in the surrounding ZIP code are well above state and national medians, and rents have risen steeply. The market is expensive relative to the broader region. The neighborhood is not new development; it is built out, with older homes on large lots and strong demand from families and university-connected professionals.

The district, Madison Metropolitan, has been active in recent years with school construction and renovation projects, though the data does not provide specifics on which buildings or timelines. The school itself is not new, and no information was available about recent facility changes at Shorewood Hills specifically.

For a family, Shorewood Hills Elementary offers a strong academic foundation with consistently high state test results across subjects. The peer group is one where economic disadvantage is less common than in many public schools, and the setting is an established, affluent neighborhood in a growing city. A parent who values consistent, high-level academic performance and a school where most students are meeting state benchmarks would find this a good fit. A family looking for a more economically diverse student body, or one seeking information on special education or English learner supports, should ask the school directly since those data points are missing. The housing market in the area is expensive, which is a practical consideration for any household.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 390%

School 90% · District 46% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 491%

School 91% · District 45% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 590%

School 90% · District 41% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 382%

School 82% · District 47% · ▲ 36 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 486%

School 86% · District 50% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 584%

School 84% · District 46% · ▲ 38 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Science

Grade 483%

School 83% · District 47% · ▲ 36 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 494%

School 94% · District 59% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above 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-income50%Higher-income90%40 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income71%Higher-income89%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income55%Higher-income91%36 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income70%Higher-income95%25 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income75%Higher-income93%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income87%Higher-income91%4 pp gap