Madison Metropolitan School District
Madison Metropolitan School District is a public school district based in Madison, Wisconsin, serving 25,155 students in 54 schools. By enrollment it ranks #2 of the 185 Wisconsin districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 99% of them. Its schools average 466 students each, about the same as the Wisconsin median of 430. Its superintendent is Joseph Gothard. It spends about $15,324 per student on day-to-day operations, 19% more than the Wisconsin median. It has roughly 11.6 students per teacher.
How Madison Metropolitan compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Madison Metropolitan | Wisconsin median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $15,324 | $12,911 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,875 | $7,657 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $452.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $497.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 2,167 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 4,231 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 11.6 | 13.7 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 513 | 358 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Wisconsin median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Joseph Gothard
Source: Wisconsin DPI, School Directory, checked 2026-10-05. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in Wisconsin
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Metropolitan School DistrictMadison · this district | 25,155 | 54 | $15,324 | 11.6 | #2 |
| Green Bay Area Public School DistrictGreen Bay | 18,379 | 41 | $14,312 | 12.8 | #3 |
| Kenosha School DistrictKenosha | 18,315 | 33 | $14,162 | 14.7 | #4 |
| Racine Unified School DistrictRacine | 15,781 | 25 | $15,320 | 13.3 | #5 |
| Appleton Area School DistrictAppleton | 14,994 | 39 | $12,386 | 13.9 | #6 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manteca UnifiedManteca, CA | 25,248 | $11,831 | 23.4 |
| West Contra Costa UnifiedRichmond, CA | 25,244 | $15,242 | 22.0 |
| New Hanover County SchoolsWilmington, NC | 25,155 | $11,358 | 15.3 |
| Sioux Falls School District 49-5Sioux Falls, SD | 25,051 | $9,846 | 14.8 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-wi-madison-metropolitan-school-district