Carollton Elementary, Oak Creek WI

Original Research by School Decision on Carollton Elementary

Carollton Elementary serves students from four-year-old kindergarten through fifth grade in Oak Creek, a fast-growing suburb in Milwaukee County. The school sits within the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, and its academic results place it in the top quartile among elementary schools in the county, a strong showing for a regular public school of its size.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of Hispanic students and smaller numbers of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. Roughly a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a notable but not overwhelming share in this community. Oak Creek itself has been one of the fastest-growing cities in Wisconsin, driven by major commercial and industrial development along the I-94 corridor, including large employers such as Amazon, IKEA, and the Astronautics Corporation of America. The city is largely car-dependent, though the new Drexel Town Square development has created a pedestrian-friendly civic core with the library, city hall, and public park. The district did not have any recent parent-relevant changes reported that met the lasting-impact bar, so families should check directly with the district for updates on programming or boundaries.

On state assessments, results vary noticeably by grade level. Third graders performed very well in both math and English language arts, with a large majority scoring proficient or above in each subject. Fifth graders also posted solid results in math, while their English scores were somewhat lower but still comfortably above the midpoint. Fourth graders saw a more pronounced dip, with proficiency rates closer to the middle of the range in math, English, and science. Social studies, tested only in fourth grade, showed a stronger result. This pattern of stronger early and later elementary performance with a softer fourth-grade year is a characteristic a parent may want to discuss with the school, as it could reflect a transition in curriculum expectations or cohort effects rather than a persistent trend. The school had a small share of English learners and students receiving special education services, though precise counts for those groups were not available in the data.

As an elementary-only school, Carollton does not have a graduation rate, and no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was reported. The school is not a charter or magnet, and Title I status was not listed in the available records. The absence of certain civil rights and discipline data means families should ask the school directly about its approach to student support and behavior.

For a family considering Oak Creek, Carollton offers a neighborhood elementary experience in a district with a strong academic reputation relative to Milwaukee County peers. The housing market in the area is competitive, with home values above the state median and rental costs moderate relative to local incomes. The city’s growth and development have brought new amenities and employers, but the suburban, car-oriented layout means most errands and activities require driving. Families who value a school with solid, above-average test results in most grades, and who are comfortable asking about the fourth-grade dip, will find Carollton a reasonable match for their child’s elementary years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 390%

School 90% · District 65% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 62 pts above county median

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 57% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Grade 579%

School 79% · District 59% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 56 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 386%

School 86% · District 65% · ▲ 21 pts above district

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 59 pts above county median

Grade 461%

School 61% · District 56% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Grade 570%

School 70% · District 59% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Science

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 51% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 477%

School 77% · District 69% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

This schoolOak Creek-Franklin Joint 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-income79%Higher-income89%10 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income50%Higher-income66%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income73%15 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income92%Higher-income89%3 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income46%Higher-income66%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income42%Higher-income89%47 pp gap