1
What's the biggest difference between Darlington Elementary/Middle and what you expected?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
636
Elementary
DISTRICT 450 · STATE 323
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DARLINGTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550315000704
Darlington Elementary/Middle
11630 Center Hill Road, Darlington, WI 53530 · (608) 776-4021 · Lafayette County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY43-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL636 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 52% of Wisconsin public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Wisconsin public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.1:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 14.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
48%
308 students
DISTRICT 45% · STATE 42%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 61 | 10% |
| Kindergarten | 60 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 61 | 10% |
| Grade 2 | 49 | 8% |
| Grade 3 | 75 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 56 | 9% |
| Grade 5 | 76 | 12% |
| Grade 6 | 65 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 63 | 10% |
| Grade 8 | 70 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (60) is 14% smaller than its 8th grade class (70).
Student demographics
47%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 54% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Darlington Elementary/Middle→Darlington High
Based on grade levels within Darlington Community School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
Forward Exam 2024-25 . % Meeting or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
51.5%
WI avg 53.1% . -1.0pp since 2023
Math
55.2%
WI avg 54.8% . -0.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 52 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Wisconsin schools, those numbers are about 53 and 55. Reading and writing scores are down about 1 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 51.5% | 55.2% |
| 2023-24 | 52.5% | 55.7% |
% Meeting or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Forward Exam. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
55.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
47.9%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+7.2pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 55% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 48% typical for Wisconsin schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Wisconsin's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Darlington Elementary/Middle
Darlington Elementary/Middle's state test result (55.1% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darlington Elementary/Middle this school | 636 | 48.4% | 55.1% |
| Friendship Learning Elementary North Fond du Lac | 612 | 51.5% | 45.9% |
| Central - Denison Elementary Lake Geneva | 522 | 39.8% | 74.5% |
| Walworth Elementary Walworth | 409 | 47.7% | 48.3% |
| Herrman Elementary Sparta | 616 | 52.8% | 48.3% |
| Lakeview K-8 Academy Kenosha | 988 | 46.8% | 56.4% |
Matched among Wisconsin elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Darlington Elementary/Middle ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin | In Lafayette County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 55.1% | #526 of 982 | #4 of 6 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.2% | #490 of 992 ▲ 33 | #5 of 6 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 51.5% | #526 of 992 ▲ 10 | #5 of 6 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 636 | #42 of 1,157 | #1 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.1:1 | #600 of 901 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 46.7% | #355 of 901 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 48.4% | #438 of 1,064 | #2 of 6 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +4.1% | #162 of 240 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
636
+28 (+5%) vs 2020
+14% since 2000-01, when it was 556
Student : Teacher
14.1:1
was 14.5:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 636 | 45 | 14.1:1 | 48% (308) |
| 2023-24 | 633 | 46 | 13.8:1 | 47% (295) |
| 2022-23 | 620 | 43.5 | 14.3:1 | 0% (3) |
| 2020-21 | 608 | 42 | 14.5:1 | 48% (290) |
| 2017-18 | 611 | 41.8 | 14.6:1 | 38% (233) |
| 2015-16 | 584 | 39 | 15.0:1 | 36% (213) |
| 2010-11 | 540 | 36 | 15.0:1 | 34% (185) |
| 2000-01 | 556 | 42 | 13.2:1 | 15% (86) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Darlington Elementary/Middle.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (611 to 636); teachers up 8% (41.8 to 45).
About Darlington Elementary/Middle
Darlington Elementary/Middle is classified as an elementary school. It is located in Darlington, Wisconsin. It enrolls 636 students in 2024-25. The grades offered are pre-K through 8. It has 97% more students than the average for elementary schools in Wisconsin (about 323).
In Darlington Community School District, 2 schools enroll a combined 899 students.
More than half of enrollment at Darlington Elementary/Middle is White: 64%. Other groups make up 35% Hispanic. Lafayette County as a whole is about 91% White, so the school's share is lower. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Darlington Elementary/Middle scores 47%.
The student-to-teacher ratio is 14.1:1. The school has 45 full-time-equivalent teachers. That is in line with the 14.7:1 average for elementary schools in Wisconsin. In all, 48% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
Darlington Elementary/Middle earns a B- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 52% of Wisconsin public elementary schools.
Darlington Elementary/Middle posts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 55.1%, compared with a predicted 47.9%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Wisconsin schools on BeatsExpectations.
Looking at the county, Lafayette County, median household income comes to about $76,462, about 23% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 8%. The county's public schools total 17, with about 2,658 students.
Darlington Elementary/Middle is about 0.1 miles from Darlington High, its nearest public school. Around the school, 4 other public schools are within ten miles. Of 9 schools in the immediate area with test results, Darlington Elementary/Middle ranks 4th on average proficiency.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Remote.
The school grew from 608 students in 2020-21 to 636 in 2024-25.
The allk12 page for Darlington Elementary/Middle lets the school community talk about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Lafayette County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
16,942
Census ACS
Median income
$76,462
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
23%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
17
2,658 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Darlington Community School District
- Darlington HighHigh · 263 students
Nearby schools
- Darlington High0.1 mi · 263
- Shullsburg Junior High8.2 mi · 73
- Shullsburg Elementary8.2 mi · 143
- Shullsburg High8.2 mi · 109
- Belmont High11.6 mi · 168
- Belmont Elementary11.6 mi · 213
Frequently asked questions
About Darlington Elementary/MiddleHow large is Darlington Elementary/Middle?
Darlington Elementary/Middle enrolls approximately 636 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does Darlington Elementary/Middle serve?
Darlington Elementary/Middle serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Darlington Elementary/Middle?
Approximately 14.1:1 students per teacher at Darlington Elementary/Middle.
How diverse is Darlington Elementary/Middle?
Darlington Elementary/Middle reports a student body of 64% White, 35% Hispanic, 0% Asian, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees Darlington Elementary/Middle?
Darlington Elementary/Middle is overseen by Darlington Community School District in Lafayette County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.