Mitchell School, Racine WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Mitchell School

Mitchell School is a regular public elementary and middle school in Racine, Wisconsin, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It is one of the schools within the Racine Unified School District and sits on Drexel Avenue in the city’s residential fabric. The school is large for its grade band, drawing from the surrounding neighborhoods and reflecting the broader demographics of Racine itself. The student body is diverse, with a majority of students identifying as Hispanic and a substantial share identifying as Black, while White students and students of two or more races make up smaller but still present groups. Economic need is widespread: a large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism or discipline was available from the record.

On state assessments, Mitchell School’s results are low across the subjects and grades tested. In mathematics, the share of students scoring proficient or above is in the single digits or low double digits for each grade from three through eight, with eighth grade math showing the lowest rate. English language arts scores follow a similar pattern, hovering in the single digits and low teens. In science, the proficiency rates are slightly higher but still modest, with fourth and eighth grade science each near the low double figures. Social studies fares somewhat better, particularly in fourth grade, where roughly a quarter of students met the proficiency bar, and in eighth grade where the rate is lower but still higher than most other subjects. When placed alongside other districts in Racine County, Mitchell School’s overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. For families considering this school, the test results are a clear area to investigate further, particularly since the numbers are consistently low year after year.

The school sits inside a mid-sized city on Lake Michigan with a significant industrial and manufacturing base. Major employers include S. C. Johnson & Son, InSinkErator, Case IH, Modine Manufacturing, and others, and the city has a long history as a working-class and immigrant community, with a notably large Danish heritage that lingers in local culture. Racine’s downtown and lakefront have seen revitalization efforts, and the city is relatively affordable compared to nearby Milwaukee and Chicago, though the median household income is below the national figure and a notable share of residents live below the poverty line. Housing values in the ZIP code that serves Mitchell School are moderate and have risen modestly in recent years, while rents have increased more sharply.

Within the Racine Unified School District, a long-running effort by parts of the communities of Caledonia and Sturtevant to secede and form their own districts has been a recurring topic. The referendums on that question passed narrowly some years ago, and the detachment process has continued through discussion and litigation, creating an ongoing backdrop of uncertainty for families in those areas. For Mitchell School families living within Racine city limits, that dynamic may feel distant, but it shapes the district’s overall political and financial landscape.

Mitchell School offers a full pre-K through eighth grade pathway in a single building. The peer environment is one of high economic need and a student population that is majority Hispanic and Black. The academic picture, as measured by state tests, is one where most students are not reaching proficiency, and the school’s standing within the county is low relative to other districts. A parent researching this school would want to ask what academic interventions, support programs, or community partnerships are in place, and how the school addresses the challenges that come with concentrated poverty. The school’s website and direct outreach to the principal would be the next step for that kind of detail.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 312%

School 12% · District 26% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 49%

School 9% · District 24% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 21% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 66%

School 6% · District 18% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 59 pts below county median

Grade 77%

School 7% · District 26% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 50 pts below county median

Grade 84%

School 4% · District 20% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 35%

School 5% · District 26% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 48 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Grade 48%

School 8% · District 31% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 513%

School 13% · District 29% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 610%

School 10% · District 26% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 33% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 41 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 31% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 48 pts below county median

Science

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 27% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 32 pts below county median

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 28% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 39 pts below state median · ▼ 34 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 425%

School 25% · District 43% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 40 pts below county median

Grade 817%

School 17% · District 40% · ▼ 23 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

This schoolRacine Unified 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-income2%Higher-income15%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income9%Higher-income0%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income19%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income7%Higher-income21%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income8%Higher-income19%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income4%Higher-income9%5 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income7%Higher-income31%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income7%Higher-income17%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income4%Higher-income12%8 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income4%Higher-income16%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income5%Higher-income14%9 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income4%Higher-income6%2 pp gap