Westside Elementary, Sun Prairie WI

Original Research by School Decision on Westside Elementary

Westside Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Sun Prairie, a city in Dane County that describes itself as one of the fastest-growing communities in Wisconsin. The school sits in the Sun Prairie Area School District, a large suburban district that publicly reported a major restructuring of its secondary schools when it split its single high school into two separate campuses in 2022, a shift that has reshaped attendance boundaries and school capacity for families across the community.

The student body at Westside is diverse. No single racial or ethnic group forms a majority, with Black students comprising the largest share, followed by White, Hispanic, two or more races, and Asian students, and a small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students enrolled. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that signals a school serving a high-poverty population. The school enrolls roughly the size of a mid-sized elementary for its grade band.

State testing results for the most recent year paint a mixed picture. In third-grade math and English language arts, about a quarter of students scored proficient or above, a rate that falls below what many families would hope to see. Fourth-grade scores were lower still in both subjects, with a modest share reaching proficiency. Fifth-grade results showed a split picture: in English language arts, half of students scored proficient or above, a relatively stronger outcome, while in math the share was lower. In fourth-grade science and social studies, proficiency rates were similarly low. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index placed in the bottom quartile relative to districts across Dane County. Compared with the rest of the county, this is a school where academic attainment runs below the median and where a parent would want to look into what supports and interventions are available.

The data on student-support categories such as special education and English learner status was not reported, so it is not possible to assess the extent of those programs or their outcomes from this record.

Sun Prairie itself is a rapidly growing city within the Madison metropolitan area, with a historic downtown anchored by Cannery Square, a year-round farmers market, and a mix of civic institutions including a newly expanded public library and an accessible community playground. The city’s economy mixes retail, manufacturing, technology, and distribution, with the school district as the largest employer. The median home value in the school’s ZIP code is above the state benchmark, and the area has experienced steady growth, though the market is expensive relative to national income levels. For a family considering Westside, the housing context is one of a desirable but costly suburban market, and the school serves a community that is both economically diverse and in transition. The peer environment is diverse and economically stretched, and the academic results suggest a school that is working to raise performance.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 50% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 49% · ▼ 31 pts below district

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

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 51% · ▼ 24 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 328%

School 28% · District 48% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 50% · ▼ 33 pts below district

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

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 54% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 417%

School 17% · District 46% · ▼ 29 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 429%

School 29% · District 62% · ▼ 33 pts below district

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

This schoolSun Prairie 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-income14%Higher-income54%40 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income15%Higher-income25%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income70%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income23%Higher-income50%28 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income13%Higher-income42%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income11%Higher-income52%41 pp gap