Cesar Chavez Elementary, Madison WI

Original Research by School Decision on Cesar Chavez Elementary

Cesar Chavez Elementary is a regular public school in Madison, Wisconsin, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Madison Metropolitan School District, the largest district in Dane County. The school is located in a residential area on the west side of the city, in a neighborhood of single-family homes and apartment complexes off the Beltline highway.

The student body is diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed by a substantial Hispanic population, and smaller but present groups of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. More than one-third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school at a modestly higher level of economic need than some of its west-side neighbors. Data on the share of students with individualized education plans or English-learner status was not available. The school is not a Title I school.

On state assessments administered through the Wisconsin Forward Exam, overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places the school in the bottom quartile among elementary schools in Dane County, a comparison set that includes many high-performing suburban districts. In math, at each tested grade level, somewhat fewer than half of students scored proficient or advanced. Results in English language arts were mixed. In fourth grade, more than half of students met the proficiency benchmark, while in third and fifth grades the share was lower, each falling below half. In science, just under half of fourth graders were proficient. In social studies, a notably stronger result emerged, with a clear majority of fourth graders scoring proficient or advanced. These results vary by subject and grade, and a family choosing the school may want to ask how the school targets support in the areas where proficiency is lower.

The school enrollment is large for an elementary building, with classes that appear consistently sized across grades. It serves a neighborhood that feeds into a well-regarded district with a range of program options for older students. Housing in the ZIP code that serves the school is priced above the state median, with home values rising modestly. Rents are also above average, and the estimated cost of renting is lower than a monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home, a pattern common in many fast-growing cities. Madison itself is the fastest-growing city in Wisconsin, a state capital and university town where the economy is anchored by government, education, healthcare, and technology. The city is walkable downtown, bike-friendly, and ringed by lakes, and new development is concentrated on the isthmus and expanding west and east sides.

Because Cesar Chavez Elementary serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school offers no high-school-level programming such as AP or dual credit. A parent considering this school will find a large, diverse elementary community within the Madison Metropolitan system, with academic performance that sits in a lower position relative to many Dane County peers, though with variation by subject. Social studies stands as a relative strength, while math and some English language arts cohorts show room for growth. The school is housed in a growing, amenity-rich city, and the district context means that the pathway beyond this school will lead to middle and high schools across the district, each with its own programmatic profile.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 46% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 45% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 41% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 47% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 50% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 46% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Science

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 47% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 462%

School 62% · District 59% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 8 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-income21%Higher-income62%41 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income75%54 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income62%48 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income17%Higher-income56%39 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income11%Higher-income63%51 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income14%Higher-income62%48 pp gap