Olson Elementary, Verona WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Olson Elementary

Olson Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Verona, a fast-growing city southwest of Madison in Dane County. The school is part of the Madison Metropolitan School District, not the Verona Area School District, which means its students are residents of Madison rather than Verona proper. This distinction matters for families looking at boundaries and busing.

The student body is relatively diverse in composition, with a majority of White students and sizeable Asian, Black, and multiracial populations, along with a smaller Hispanic share. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a moderate rate of economic need. This suggests a mix of income levels in the attendance zone.

Academically, Olson’s state test results from the most recent year show a mixed picture. In third grade, roughly two-thirds of students scored proficient or above in math, and closer to three-quarters did so in English language arts. Fourth-grade math proficiency dipped somewhat, while fourth-grade science proficiency was right around three-fifths, and social studies proficiency was higher. Fifth-grade results were the weakest of the three grades tested: math proficiency dropped below three-fifths, and English language arts proficiency fell below that. This downward trend from third to fifth grade is worth a parent’s attention. Overall, across all tested grades and subjects, Olson’s combined proficiency index lands above the midpoint among the many elementary schools that feed into the county’s various districts, but not near the top of that range.

Participation rates on the state assessments were very high, which means the results are a reliable picture of tested students. No graduation rate is available, as the school ends at fifth grade and that metric does not apply.

The school offers no special designations such as magnet or charter status. It is a regular public elementary school.

As for the community, Verona’s character is shaped heavily by the presence of Epic Systems Corporation, a medical-software company that drives rapid growth and draws a professional workforce. Housing values and rents are high, reflecting the area’s affluence and demand. The city is car-dependent, with recreational trails providing some non-vehicular connectivity. The school’s physical location on Redan Drive places it within a suburban residential context.

Families considering Olson should weigh the academic trajectory: early elementary performance is solid, but the decline by fifth grade suggests a soft spot in the upper elementary years that a parent may want to investigate further with the school. The student body is economically and racially mixed, and the setting is a booming suburb with expensive housing. For a family in the Madison district’s attendance zone, Olson offers a conventional elementary experience in a growing, high-cost area.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 368%

School 68% · District 46% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 45% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 41% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · even with county median

English language arts

Grade 371%

School 71% · District 47% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 466%

School 66% · District 50% · ▲ 17 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Grade 555%

School 55% · District 46% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Science

Grade 460%

School 60% · District 47% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 59% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · even with 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-income33%Higher-income82%49 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income40%Higher-income75%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income67%56 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income47%Higher-income75%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income71%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income0%Higher-income73%73 pp gap