Glacier Edge Elementary, Verona WI

Original Research by School Decision on Glacier Edge Elementary

Glacier Edge Elementary, a regular public school in the Verona Area School District, serves kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of several elementary schools spread across the city of Verona, a fast-growing suburban community southwest of Madison that has been heavily shaped by the presence of Epic Systems Corporation, a major medical-software employer. The city has seen steady population growth and rising property values, attracting a professional workforce, and the school reflects that affluent, growth-oriented context.

The student body of approximately this size for a K-5 school is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population as the next largest group. Slightly more than a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that, within the context of a high-income community, signals some economic diversity but not the high-poverty concentration present in many districts.

State testing results from the most recent year show a mixed picture across grade levels and subjects. In mathematics, proficiency rates rose from a lower level in third grade to a more solid one by fifth grade, with fourth and fifth graders both exceeding half of students meeting the bar. English language arts followed a similar pattern, with the lowest proficiency in third grade and a clear upward trend through the upper elementary grades. Fourth-grade science results landed below the majority level, while fourth-grade social studies results were notably stronger, with a majority of students reaching proficiency. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index placed it below the midpoint relative to other districts in Dane County, a comparison set that includes a wide range of communities from affluent suburbs to urban Madison and rural towns. A parent reading these results should note that Glacier Edge’s third-grade cohort, in both math and reading, shows a clear dip compared to the school’s own upper grades, which may be worth discussing with the school to understand how early learners are being supported.

The school follows a standard elementary model with no charter or magnet status. Data on special education identification and English learner status was not available, and no information on chronic absenteeism or staffing ratios was reported. The district did not appear to have recent major changes that would substantially alter a family’s experience, based on available public reports.

Glacier Edge sits within a community that is largely car-dependent, with a traditional Main Street corridor and recreational trails providing some non-vehicular connections. The school’s individual campus is one of several spread across the city rather than clustered downtown. For families weighing school options, this is a standard suburban elementary in a prosperous, growing district where the primary academic challenge appears to be lifting early-grade performance to match the stronger results seen in upper elementary. The mix of a majority-white student body with a significant Hispanic enrollment and a moderate share of students on free or reduced-price lunch gives the school a degree of diversity that may appeal to families seeking a community beyond an all-affluent demographic.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 59% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 65% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 59% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 58% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 455%

School 55% · District 66% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 61% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Science

Grade 447%

School 47% · District 59% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 74% · ▼ 8 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

This schoolVerona 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-income21%Higher-income55%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income67%35 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income77%51 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income14%Higher-income60%46 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income35%Higher-income71%37 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income30%Higher-income72%42 pp gap