Read Elementary, Oshkosh WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Read Elementary

Read Elementary sits in a mid-sized city with a mix of residential blocks, a working waterfront, and a significant industrial base. The city serves as the county seat, located on the western shore of a large lake where a river enters. The daily life here includes a university campus integrated into downtown, manufacturing facilities from major employers, and seasonal tourism tied to a major annual aviation event and lake recreation. Housing values and rents sit near national norms, with monthly mortgage costs on a typical home roughly in line with the national median income a family would need to afford it.

This is a regular public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The enrollment is that of a small elementary school for the grade band. The student body draws from the surrounding neighborhood. White students make up just under half the population, with Black students, Hispanic students, students who identify as two or more races, and Asian students each present, along with a small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a signal that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records provided.

On the Wisconsin Forward assessments, the school's proficiency rates across math, English language arts, science, and social studies placed it in the bottom quartile among elementary schools in districts across Winnebago County. In third-grade math, about a quarter of students scored at proficient or above. Fourth-grade math results were similar, while fifth-grade math showed a noticeably higher share reaching proficiency, approaching half. In English language arts, roughly a quarter of third graders, a third of fourth graders, and a third of fifth graders met the bar. In fourth grade, where science and social studies are tested, just under two in five students reached the proficient level in each subject. The participation rates were very high across all tested grades, which means the results reflect the full student population. A parent considering Read should be aware that the school's academic performance is lower than most other schools in the county. This is a soft spot in the profile that a prospective family may want to investigate further with the school, particularly around how the school supports students who are behind grade level.

The school is a traditional neighborhood elementary school with no charter or magnet designation. It is part of the Oshkosh Area School District, which operates over a dozen elementary schools, several middle schools, and two high schools across the city. The school's setting is in a neighborhood near the downtown core. The city has a historic downtown district with a walkable commercial corridor that includes a performing arts venue, a museum, and a public library. There are several historic districts in the city. Many civic anchors and the university campus are in or near downtown, giving the area an integrated rather than a campus-separated feel. The city's population has grown modestly over recent decades, and it has a downtown redevelopment plan.

For a family weighing this school, the profile is clear. Read Elementary serves a high-poverty population in a mid-sized industrial city with a compact downtown. The test results place the school among the lower-performing elementary schools in its county, across every subject and grade tested. The school does not offer any special magnet or charter theme that would differentiate its academic approach. A family whose priority is strong academic proficiency data would likely find other options in the district more aligned with that goal. A family that values a neighborhood school in a city with a working-class identity, a university presence, and a range of civic and recreational amenities might find Read a grounded choice, provided they are prepared to engage closely with the school's academic support systems.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 38% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 44% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 26 pts below county median

Grade 544%

School 44% · District 42% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 37% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 42% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 45% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Science

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 42% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 52% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

This schoolOshkosh Area 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-income13%Higher-income50%38 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income18%Higher-income50%32 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income23%Higher-income44%21 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income18%Higher-income41%23 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income18%Higher-income35%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income33%Higher-income61%28 pp gap