Mahadev Maitri Foundation
US Initiatives
Elementary Schools

Best Elementary Schools
in Milwaukee School District

This page covers 109 elementary schools in Milwaukee School District, including 12 charter schools. Rankings use a composite of neighborhood opportunity, class sizes, and per-student investment — signals available consistently from federal data across all US public schools. Schools in this district score below the national median on neighborhood opportunity. Use these rankings as a starting point; pair them with school visits and conversations with local parents before making any enrollment decision.

109
Schools Ranked
Wisconsin
State
12
Charter Schools
RankingsHow We RankFAQAbout Data

Elementary Schools Rankings

Showing 10 of 109
1
rank
Eighty-First Street Elementary
Grades PK–05332 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,171/student)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
15.1:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
52/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
82%
High economic need
2
rank
Burbank Elementary
Grades PK–08488 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,171/student)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
14.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
53/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
86%
High economic need
3
rank
Whitman Elementary
Grades PK–08319 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,171/student)
53
/100
Student:Teacher
15.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
51/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
74%
High economic need
4
rank
Milwaukee German Immersion
Grades PK–05561 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,171/student)
52
/100
Student:Teacher
22.1:1
Near nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
52/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
30%
Low economic need
5
rank
Hawley Environmental School
Grades PK–05283 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,171/student)
52
/100
Student:Teacher
14.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
84%
High economic need
6
rank
Bryant Elementary
Grades PK–05202 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (10.5:1) · above-average investment ($20,171/student)
52
/100
Student:Teacher
10.5:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
94%
High economic need
7
rank
Hawthorne Elementary
Grades PK–05260 students
Ranked for: small class sizes (12.7:1) · above-average investment ($20,171/student)
52
/100
Student:Teacher
12.7:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
47/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
97%
High economic need
8
rank
Whittier Elementary
Grades PK–05143 studentsCharter
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,171/student)
52
/100
Student:Teacher
14.3:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
41/100
Near nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
59%
Near nat'l 52.2%
9
rank
Highland Community School
Grades PK–08420 studentsCharter
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,171/student)
52
/100
Student:Teacher
15.0:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Opportunity
37/100
Below nat'l median
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
39%
Near nat'l 52.2%
10
rank
Cass Street Elementary
Grades PK–08285 students
Ranked for: above-average investment ($20,171/student)
52
/100
Student:Teacher
14.9:1
Below nat'l 15.4:1
Per-Pupil Spend
$20,171
Above nat'l avg
Free Lunch
95%
High economic need
99 more elementary schools in Milwaukee School District not shown here.
View all schools in Milwaukee School District
How We Rank Elementary Schools

Each school receives a composite score (0–100) built from 4 federal data signals, weighted to reflect what matters most at the elementary school level. All signals are normalised against national benchmarks so a school's score reflects its standing across the entire US, not just within this district.

Neighborhood Opportunity
40%
Harvard Opportunity Atlas score for the school's neighbourhood. Higher means children from this area historically achieve stronger economic outcomes.
Student-Teacher Ratio
30%
Lower ratio = smaller classes = more individual attention per child. Normalised against national range.
Per-Pupil Expenditure
20%
Annual district spending per enrolled student from the NCES F-33 Finance Survey. Compared against national average.
Free Lunch Rate
10%
Percentage of students qualifying for free/reduced-price lunch. Used as a neighbourhood economic-context signal.
Test scores are excluded: they are not published as consistent open federal data across all states, making reliable cross-district comparison impossible with this signal alone.
District at a Glance
109
Elementary Schools
156
Total Schools
53
#1 Score
46
Avg Score
Top Ranked Elementary School
Other School Levels
Compare Milwaukee School District with neighbouring districts
⇄ Compare districts
Frequently Asked Questions
About This Data

All figures on this page come directly from US federal open datasets: NCES Common Core of Data (enrollment, school characteristics, student-teacher ratios), NCES F-33 Finance Survey (per-pupil expenditure), Harvard Opportunity Atlas (neighbourhood opportunity scores). Federal data is published on an annual cycle and may not reflect the very latest school-year changes. Rankings reflect available data and should be used as a starting point — not a substitute for visiting schools or consulting district resources directly. What this ranking does not measure: teacher quality, classroom culture, extracurricular programmes, school safety, or parent and student satisfaction.