Thoreau Elementary

Located at 3870 Nakoma Rd, in Madison, Wisconsin, Thoreau Elementary is a middle-of-the-pack primary school that teaches 403 students (grades pre-K through 5), operated by Madison Metropolitan School District. That puts it 25% bigger than the typical public school in Wisconsin, which averages around 323 students.

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

On demographics, Thoreau Elementary lists that the largest single group is White at 51%, but no single group is in the majority. Beyond that, the school lists 26% Hispanic, 14% Black, 7% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 77% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Thoreau Elementary has 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 11.0:1. The state averages around 14.7:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. Around 43% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Dane County runs at roughly 32%, so the school's eligibility rate is higher than the surrounding baseline.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Thoreau Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 51.0%; this one delivers 60.0%.

In the surrounding community, ACS estimates for Dane County put median household earnings sit near $89,975, about 55% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 5% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Thoreau Elementary is one of 169 public schools in Dane County (combined enrollment of about 78,525 students).

Nearest neighbor: Cherokee Heights Middle, around 0.5 miles off. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Thoreau Elementary at 3rd of 7; the average score across the group is 51.2%.

Geographically, the school is in a high-density area.

Five-year trend. Thoreau Elementary's enrollment has decreased 7% since 2018, when it stood at 434 (now 403). Over the same period, the Hispanic share climbed from 21% to 26%.

In the discussion threads here, the feed for Thoreau Elementary typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.