Lapham Elementary

As a small primary school in Madison, Wisconsin, Lapham Elementary enrolls 182 students from grades pre-K through 2, operated by Madison Metropolitan School District. Compared to the state average of about 323 students per school, that is 44% below typical.

Madison Metropolitan School District comprises 53 schools with combined enrollment of 25,155 students; Lapham Elementary is among them.

On the student-mix side, Lapham Elementary logs that White students make up the majority at 58%. The remainder consists of 18% Black, 13% multiracial, 9% Hispanic. That is visibly less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 77%.

In terms of school funding signals, Staff filings list 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 8.0:1 students per teacher. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 14.7:1 average. Roughly 44% of students at Lapham Elementary qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is noticeably above Dane County's rate of about 32%.

Around the school, community-level numbers for Dane County indicate median household earnings sit near $89,975, about 55% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 5%. Across Dane County's 169 public schools (combined enrollment of about 78,525 students), Lapham Elementary is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Innovative High, around 0.0 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools.

The campus sits in a high-density setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Lapham Elementary's enrollment has shrank 31% since 2018, when it stood at 265 (now 182). Over the same period, the White share grew from 53% to 58%. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 11.0:1 in 2018 to 8.0:1 today.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Lapham Elementary typically covers sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.