Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Madison Metropolitan School District

This page covers 32 elementary schools in Madison Metropolitan School District, including 1 charter school. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score near the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

32
Schools Ranked
Wisconsin
State
1
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 32
1
rank
Lapham Elementary
Grades PK–02205 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (8.9:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
72
/100
Student:Teacher
8.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
38%
Near nat'l 52.2%
2
rank
Marquette Elementary
Grades 03–05149 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.4:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
69
/100
Student:Teacher
11.4:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
30%
Low economic need
3
rank
Gompers Elementary
Grades PK–05227 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (10.3:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
67
/100
Student:Teacher
10.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
53%
Near nat'l 52.2%
4
rank
Sandburg Elementary
Grades PK–05392 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (9.8:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
66
/100
Student:Teacher
9.8:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
64%
Near nat'l 52.2%
5
rank
Lake View Elementary
Grades KG–05267 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (9.2:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
66
/100
Student:Teacher
9.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
73%
High economic need
6
rank
Lowell Elementary
Grades PK–05334 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.6:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
66
/100
Student:Teacher
11.6:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
45%
Near nat'l 52.2%
7
rank
Lindbergh Elementary
Grades PK–05180 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (10.2:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
64
/100
Student:Teacher
10.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
71%
High economic need
8
rank
Emerson Elementary
Grades PK–05351 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (13.1:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
62
/100
Student:Teacher
13.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
57%
Near nat'l 52.2%
9
rank
Randall Elementary School
Grades 03–05311 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (13.3:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
61
/100
Student:Teacher
13.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
51/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
20%
Low economic need
10
rank
Mendota Elementary
Grades PK–05308 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (11.2:1) · above-average investment ($20,303/student)
61
/100
Student:Teacher
11.2:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,303
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
80%
High economic need
22 more elementary schools in Madison Metropolitan School District not shown here.
View all schools in Madison Metropolitan School District
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
32
Elementary Schools
54
Total Schools
72
#1 Score
60
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
1
Lapham Elementary
Score: 72/100
Other School Levels
Compare Madison Metropolitan School District with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.