Enrollment
353
Elementary
DISTRICT 370 · STATE 323
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MILWAUKEE SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550960001255
Thoreau Elementary
7878 N 60th St, Milwaukee, WI 53223 · (262) 236-1800 · Milwaukee County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL353 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
23 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.8:1 · STATE 14.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
96%
338 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 42%
Community
0
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 | 22 | 6% |
| Kindergarten | 40 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 38 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 33 | 9% |
| Grade 3 | 35 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 29 | 8% |
| Grade 5 | 45 | 13% |
| Grade 6 | 38 | 11% |
| Grade 7 | 34 | 10% |
| Grade 8 | 39 | 11% |
This year's kindergarten class (40) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (39).
Student demographics
26%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · 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
Test scores
Forward Exam 2024-25 . % Meeting or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
13.1%
WI avg 53.1% . -2.0pp since 2023
Math
9.2%
WI avg 54.8% . -0.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 13 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 9 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 2 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 13.1% | 9.2% |
| 2023-24 | 15.1% | 9.4% |
% 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
13.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
18.9%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 14% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 19% 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 Thoreau Elementary
Thoreau Elementary's state test result (13.6% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thoreau Elementary this school | 353 | 95.8% | 13.6% |
| Elm Creative Arts Elementary Milwaukee | 335 | 94.3% | 9.9% |
| Cass Street Elementary Milwaukee | 312 | 92.6% | 12.7% |
| Clemens Elementary Milwaukee | 321 | 97.5% | 8.4% |
| Carson Academy Milwaukee | 326 | 94.5% | 8.4% |
| Lancaster Elementary Milwaukee | 316 | 90.5% | 7.2% |
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 Thoreau Elementary ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin | In Milwaukee County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 13.6% | #934 of 982 | #128 of 171 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 9.2% | #954 of 992 ▲ 2 | #143 of 174 ▼ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 13.1% | #940 of 992 ▼ 5 | #131 of 174 ▼ 6 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 353 | #457 of 1,157 | #83 of 180 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.3:1 | #718 of 901 | #72 of 158 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 25.8% | #646 of 901 | #120 of 158 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 95.8% | #15 of 1,064 | #13 of 174 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -21.4% | #191 of 664 | #43 of 133 |
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
353
-62 (-15%) vs 2020
-48% since 1990-91, when it was 674
Student : Teacher
15.3:1
was 16.0:1
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 | 353 | 23 | 15.3:1 | 96% (338) |
| 2023-24 | 357 | 18.1 | 19.7:1 | 99% (352) |
| 2022-23 | 352 | 22.4 | 15.7:1 | 99% (350) |
| 2020-21 | 415 | 26 | 16.0:1 | 95% (394) |
| 2017-18 | 449 | 15.6 | 28.7:1 | 93% (418) |
| 2015-16 | 503 | 27 | 18.6:1 | 76% (384) |
| 2010-11 | 629 | 36 | 17.5:1 | 80% (505) |
| 2000-01 | 671 | 43 | 15.6:1 | 69% (463) |
| 1990-91 | 674 | 33 | 20.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Thoreau Elementary.
Since 2017-18: students down 21% (449 to 353); teachers up 47% (15.6 to 23).
About Thoreau Elementary
As a medium-sized elementary school, Thoreau Elementary serves students in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Enrollment is 353 students in 2024-25, and the school serves pre-K through 8.
Thoreau Elementary is run by Milwaukee School District, whose 155 schools enroll 65,835 students.
The large majority of students at Thoreau Elementary, 86%, are Black. Next come 6% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, 3% Asian, and 2% White. The county population is about 26% Black. The chance that two students picked at random at Thoreau Elementary belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 26%.
Staffing totals 23 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the student-to-teacher ratio is 15.3:1. Elementary schools in Wisconsin have a similar average ratio of 14.7:1. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Thoreau Elementary is 96%. Compared with the 64% average for public schools in Milwaukee County, the school's rate is higher.
Thoreau Elementary posts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 13.6%, compared with a predicted 18.9%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Wisconsin schools on BeatsExpectations.
According to the American Community Survey, in Milwaukee County, median household income is about $64,435, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 35%, and about 13% of people live in poverty. A total of 284 public schools operate in Milwaukee County, serving about 122,496 students.
The closest public school to Thoreau Elementary is Brown Deer Middle/High, about 0.3 miles away. Within five miles of Thoreau Elementary, there are at least 8 other public schools. In a group of 9 nearby schools with scores, Thoreau Elementary ranks 5th on average proficiency.
The NCES locale for Thoreau Elementary is City: Large, which covers schools inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Federal counts put enrollment at 415 in 2020-21 and 353 in 2024-25, a 15% decrease.
Parents and students can post about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at Thoreau Elementary. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Milwaukee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
926,331
Census ACS
Median income
$64,435
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
284
122,496 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Milwaukee School District
- HAPA-Hmong American Peace Academy K3-12Combined · 1,974 students
- Hamilton HighHigh · 1,472 students
- Reagan College Preparatory HighHigh · 1,372 students
- King InternationalHigh · 1,308 students
- Obama School of Career and Technical EducationCombined · 1,294 students
- Riverside HighHigh · 1,240 students
Other schools in Milwaukee
- HAPA-Hmong American Peace Academy K3-12Combined · 1,974 students
- Milwaukee Academy of ScienceCombined · 1,711 students
- Hamilton HighHigh · 1,472 students
- Reagan College Preparatory HighHigh · 1,372 students
- Bruce GuadalupeElementary · 1,364 students
- King InternationalHigh · 1,308 students
Other Thoreau Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 2 states are named Thoreau Elementary. Thoreau Elementary is the 3rd largest of the 3.
- Thoreau ElementaryMadison, WI · 403 students
- THOREAU ELEMENTARYTHOREAU, NM · 359 students
Nearby schools
- Brown Deer Middle/High0.3 mi · 904
- Brown Deer Elementary0.6 mi · 709
- Barton Elementary1.3 mi · 283
- Green Tree Preparatory Academy1.3 mi · 535
- Hawthorne Elementary1.5 mi · 259
- Morse Mid2.0 mi · 383
Frequently asked questions
About Thoreau ElementaryWhat is the total enrollment at Thoreau Elementary?
Thoreau Elementary enrolls approximately 353 students in grades PK-08.
What age range does Thoreau Elementary serve?
Thoreau Elementary serves students from grade PK through grade 08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Thoreau Elementary?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Thoreau Elementary is approximately 15.3:1 (23 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Thoreau Elementary?
At Thoreau Elementary, the student body is approximately 2% White, 6% Hispanic, 86% Black, 3% Asian, 4% Two or more.
What district is Thoreau Elementary in?
Thoreau Elementary is part of Milwaukee School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.