Marshall Elementary, Marshall WI

Original Research by School Decision on Marshall Elementary

Marshall Elementary serves third through sixth grade in the Marshall School District, a small Dane County district roughly a half-hour from Madison. The village of Marshall itself is a compact community centered on a historic downtown along the Maunesha River, with a mix of residential neighborhoods, commercial strips, and parks. The village website promotes a “Grow Marshall” initiative and describes itself as a development area for residential and commercial growth, though population estimates appear to have been relatively stable in recent years. Homes in the village carry a value above the national typical home price, and the area has a substantial homeownership rate, which shapes the student body the school draws from.

The school serves a middle-band student population. A meaningful share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a moderate-income context. Racially, the student body is majority white, with a sizable Hispanic population and smaller shares of Black and multiracial students. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It does not offer middle or high school grades, so there is no graduation rate or data on high school outcomes here.

Academically, the picture is mixed. In math, proficiency rates climb from third through fifth grade, reaching a solid level by fifth grade, then drop sharply in sixth grade, where the share of students meeting state proficiency standards falls to a level that a parent would want to look into further. The sixth-grade math cohort is small, and a single class can produce wide swings, but the drop is notable. In English language arts, proficiency rates stay within a moderate range across all four grades, with fourth grade the highest and third grade the lowest. Science and social studies are assessed only in fourth grade. The science proficiency rate is near the midpoint, while social studies posts a stronger result, with a substantial majority of fourth graders meeting the state standard.

When placed against other districts in Dane County, the school sits in the bottom quartile on overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. Dane County is home to several wealthier and consistently high-performing districts, so this relative position reflects a competitive local field. A parent considering the school should weigh the mid-elementary strength, particularly in math through fifth grade, against the steep sixth-grade math decline. It may be worth asking the school what supports are in place for the transition to middle school mathematics.

The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes such as boundary shifts, program cuts, or leadership turnover in recent years. The school’s setting in a small, growth-oriented village with accessible parks and a downtown core may appeal to families seeking a close-knit community with proximity to a larger metro area.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 52%

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

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 59%

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

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 66%

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 23%

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

English language arts

Grade 338%

School 38% · District 38%

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 49%

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

Grade 541%

School 41% · District 41%

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

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 37%

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

Science

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 48%

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 464%

School 64% · District 64%

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolMarshall 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-income54%33 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income33%Higher-income65%32 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income48%18 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income44%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income38%Higher-income65%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income73%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income63%Higher-income68%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income15%Higher-income30%15 pp gap