Sauk Trail ES neighborhood (Madison, Middleton: apartments, rentals, neighborhoods)

[pumpkinsseed]

Looking for some inputs on the area around Sauk Trail Elementary (Lakeview & Amherst neighborhoods) as a place to live for a family with young kids. General criteria - safety, quality, upkeep, etc.

How does it compare to other East Middleton neighborhoods?

[Drewjdeg]

It is a nice area; a lot of apartments and rentals, probably one of the more affordable areas to live in Middleton.

Definitely a good area to live if you enjoy public parks. You have kayak and canoes rentals at Marshall Beach in the summer, easy access to Pheasant Branch Conservancy, there's a somewhat new splash pad at Lakeview Park. They've also built a lot of bike paths in the area within the last five years or so; you can now bike from that area to UW-Madison almost entirely on bike trails - which is nice.

[pumpkinsseed]

Thanks for your response, Drewjdeg. It is good to know "things-to-do" in that area.

We are in general also confused about the strange school boundaries and are wondering what the history is. Why is Sauk Trail ES separated from Elm Lawn on the north and south? It feels like Sauk Trail is too small to merit its own school.

How does the Sauk Trail compare to other Middleton elementary schools?

[Drewjdeg]

Originally Posted by pumpkinsseed

Thanks for your response, Drewjdeg. It is good to know "things-to-do" in that area.

We are in general also confused about the strange school boundaries and are wondering what the history is. Why is Sauk Trail ES separated from Elm Lawn on the north and south? It feels like Sauk Trail is too small to merit its own school.

How does the Sauk Trail compare to other Middleton elementary schools?

There are a lot of families living in the apartments and duplexes along Century and Allen, so the population density is a lot higher compared to the newer areas west of the Beltline. Sauk Trails is also an old school, so that may also limit capacity somewhat.

As to why there is that weird split, my guess is that they want to achieve some diversity of income in the student population. That's probably why that area of around Century and Parmenter and carved out and zoned with Elm Lawn.

In general, Sauk Trails is not going to have that upper-middle class suburbia vibe that other schools in the area have.

For context, here's an area zoned to the new Pope Farm Elementary.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.0788...7i13312!8i6656

And here's the area around Sauk Trails.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1034...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.1000...7i16384!8i8192

If you are looking at the area, definitely check out Middleton Hills. It is one of my favorite neighborhoods in the entire state.