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Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary

Q: Is Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary a good school?

Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.1% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 384 students attended Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary?

Students at Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary are 82% African American, 6% Asian, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% White.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

1033^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 1% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary is a public elementary school serving 414 students in grades PK-8 in the Milwaukee School District. Despite receiving significant funding, the school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing schools in Wisconsin, with a statewide ranking between 984-1042 out of over 1,000 elementary schools in recent years.

The school faces significant challenges, including extremely low proficiency rates on state assessments, with only 3-8% of students proficient in English Language Arts and 0-24% proficient in Mathematics. Additionally, the school has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.7% to 70.6% in recent years, and high dropout rates, ranging from 1.3% to 5.6%. These issues are compounded by the fact that the school serves a student population that is 92-95% eligible for free/reduced lunch, indicating very high poverty levels.

While the nearby Browning Elementary, Kilbourn Elementary, and Stuart Elementary schools also struggle with high poverty and low academic achievement, they generally outperform Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary. Addressing the deep-rooted challenges facing this school will require a sustained, comprehensive effort involving the school, district, and community stakeholders.

384

Students ?

15.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,464

Per pupil spending ?

92.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7900 W Acacia St
Milwaukee, WI 53223-5623

(414) 393-3800

District: Milwaukee School District

Students who attend Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary usually attend:

Middle:	King International Baccalaureate Middle
	Lincoln Middle
	Roosevelt Middle
High:	Audubon Technology and Communication High
	Bradley Technology High
	Carmen Mid/High Northwest Campus
	James Madison Academic Campus
	More...
	King International
	Milwaukee High School of the Arts
	Milwaukee School of Languages
	Reagan College Preparatory High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

81.8%

Asian:

6.0%

Hispanic:

5.7%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2015 → 1st in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (9% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (1st percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (68% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school9%

District avg23%

Wisconsin avg54%

Elementary school

1,033^rd of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 1%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

585^th of 628

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 7%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 2% (2015) to bottom 7% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

97^th of 106Elementary Schools in the Milwaukee School District

415^th of 426Milwaukee School District among Wisconsin districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	1.6	1033 of 1044	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.3	1035 of 1061	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.0	1042 of 1067	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.0	1033 of 1067	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.0	984 of 1050	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.8	1023 of 1037	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.0	986 of 1025	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.6	1061 of 1071	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.7	1051 of 1075	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.6	1043 of 1076	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.1	1035 of 1061	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.6	1016 of 1053	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	3.2	1006 of 1045	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.2	1010 of 1046	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	12.4	968 of 1045	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	20.0	922 of 1030	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	6.7	966 of 1021	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	26.1	570 of 689	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	1.8	613 of 632	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	5.3	599 of 633	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	14.9	139 of 144	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	114 of 137	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.0	134 of 138	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.2	117 of 133	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.1	101 of 141	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	20.4	146 of 161	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	29.0	120 of 165	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	1.6	997 of 1001	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.6	985 of 1011	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.8	986 of 1010	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.4	976 of 1017	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	941 of 1004	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.5	985 of 1002	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.9	962 of 997	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	2.6	871 of 871	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.0	858 of 859	0.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	2.8	976 of 1000	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.3	979 of 1012	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.3	990 of 1011	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.1	997 of 1017	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.4	923 of 1003	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.3	993 of 1002	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.1	954 of 997	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	780 of 802	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	775 of 790	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.5	737 of 770	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.2	709 of 748	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	21.4	639 of 746	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.1	712 of 742	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	14.1	693 of 721	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	5.2	585 of 628	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.6	631 of 641	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.8	626 of 640	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.7	588 of 617	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.7	587 of 613	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.0	574 of 594	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.3	544 of 579	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.7	592 of 612	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.0	607 of 609	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.8	599 of 612	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.1	564 of 585	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	2.3	549 of 569	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	7.6	520 of 559	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	8.9	515 of 549	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	9.1	499 of 539	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	14.2	474 of 521	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.9	501 of 519	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	19.4	316 of 366	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	10.3	344 of 382	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	40.4	67 of 117	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	17.8	112 of 118	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	20.5	124 of 130	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	23.5	109 of 125	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	30.3	105 of 134	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.5	105 of 127	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	33.6	85 of 123	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	11.9	510 of 573	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	2.7	561 of 580	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	562 of 579	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.8	554 of 576	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.7	550 of 574	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.0	538 of 557	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.7	516 of 551	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2018	38.4	137 of 204	32.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	2.9	515 of 520	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.7	522 of 525	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.9	506 of 522	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	2.4	563 of 577	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.5	582 of 585	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.9	583 of 591	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.3	538 of 577	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.6	547 of 572	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.2	536 of 557	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.5	525 of 551	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	404 of 414	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.9	413 of 425	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.6	415 of 439	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.1	403 of 421	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	22.0	376 of 437	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.0	397 of 414	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.8	395 of 417	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

African American (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)<1st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)<1st percentile~ school

Middle school

African American (2025)43rd percentile+36 vs school

Hispanic (2018)33rd percentile+27 vs school

Female (2025)11th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)2nd percentile-4 vs school

Special Education (2025)2nd percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)1st percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies14%-49 vs state

Science10%-41 vs state

English Language Arts9%-44 vs state

Mathematics9%-45 vs state

★

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Schools Near Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2025)						Forward Exam Mathematics (2025)						Forward Exam Social Studies (2025)		Forward Exam Science (2025)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2021)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Forward Exam English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 4th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 5th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 6th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 7th Grade	Forward Exam English Language Arts 8th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 3rd Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 4th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 5th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 4th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Science 4th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	7900 W Acacia St	Milwaukee	53223	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-3800	384	24	15.9	92.2%	5 (1.3%)	314 (81.8%)	22 (5.7%)	23 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (4.9%)	1.6	1033^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	1.1%		2.3	1035^th of 1061 public elementary schools	2.5%	2	3.3	2.8	5.4	6.3	8.6	24.3	3.3	0.0	8.1	6.3	8.6	24.3	5.6	21.6	2.8	16.2	$17,464	$2,600	$14,864
Stuart Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	7001 N 86th St	Milwaukee	53224	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-3700	322	19	16.9	77.3%	2 (0.6%)	197 (61.2%)	33 (10.2%)	71 (22.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	16 (5.0%)	11.8	931^st of 1044 public elementary schools	10.8%		14.6	924^th of 1061 public elementary schools	12.9%	7	27.8	29.8	19.1				33.3	25.5	7.1				36.2		25.5		$17,060	$3,349	$13,712
Bruce Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6453 N 89th St	Milwaukee	53224	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-2100	270	15	18.2	94.8%	4 (1.5%)	220 (81.5%)	12 (4.4%)	15 (5.6%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.7%)	7.7	953^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	8.7%		2.6	1025^th of 1061 public elementary schools	3.4%	72	31.0	16.7	10.7				31.0	13.3	10.7				33.3		6.7		$16,209	$3,779	$12,430
Darrell Lynn Hines Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	7151 N 86th St	Milwaukee	53224	Milwaukee County	Darrell L Hines Academy Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 358-3542	180	8	23.0	67.2%	0 (0.0%)	162 (90.0%)	4 (2.2%)	7 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.9%)	4.5	984^th of 1044 public elementary schools	5.7%		8.4	962^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	9.3%	22	7.7	11.1	27.8	7.1	14.3	26.7	0.0	5.6	22.2	0.0	21.4	20.0	16.7	40.0	5.6	20.0	$10,725	$2,032	$8,693
Milwaukee Scholars Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	7000 W Florist Ave	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee Scholars Charter School Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-0197	696	36	19.3	83.0%	4 (0.6%)	561 (80.6%)	23 (3.3%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	105 (15.1%)	9.2	945^th of 1044 public elementary schools	9.5%		7.6	968^th of 1061 public elementary schools	8.8%	23	13.9	22.7	17.0	29.3	36.5	37.0	22.2	25.8	18.6	24.1	30.8	37.0	39.4	45.7	10.6	23.9	$20,832	$2,820	$18,012
Barton Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5700 W Green Tree Rd	Milwaukee	53223	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-3900	283	17	16.3	90.5%	8 (2.8%)	240 (84.8%)	8 (2.8%)	19 (6.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)	3.9	992^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	5.0%		4	1002^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	5.6%	10	9.8	21.2	12.9				9.8	6.1	16.1				21.2		6.1		$16,750	$2,973	$13,776
Bryant Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8718 W Thurston Ave	Milwaukee	53225	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-6500	212	18	11.5	91.0%	1 (0.5%)	178 (84.0%)	13 (6.1%)	11 (5.2%)	3 (1.4%)	1 (0.5%)	5 (2.4%)	8.6	950^th of 1044 public elementary schools	9.0%		4.2	999^th of 1061 public elementary schools	5.8%	49	17.2	15.0	12.5				17.2	35.0	25.0				30.0		20.0		$18,526	$3,101	$15,425
Kluge Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5760 N 67th St	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 578-5000	301	21	14.3	92.7%	6 (2.0%)	250 (83.1%)	15 (5.0%)	22 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	4.3	988^th of 1044 public elementary schools	5.4%		3.5	1010^th of 1061 public elementary schools	4.8%	22	25.6	11.8	3.2				15.4	8.8	0.0				20.6		14.7		$18,593	$2,661	$15,932
Rocketship Transformation Prep	Public, Charter	PK, KG-5	5501 N 68th St N	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Rocketship Education Wisconsin Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 501-1107	313	10	32.1	23.6%	1 (0.3%)	281 (89.8%)	23 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.6%)	11.9	930^th of 1044 public elementary schools	10.9%		4	1001^st of 1061 public elementary schools	5.7%	71	26.5	20.0	17.2				23.5	42.9	27.6				25.7		11.4		$11,835	$1,831	$10,004
Browning Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5440 N 64th St	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-5200	279	18	15.6	90.7%	3 (1.1%)	252 (90.3%)	18 (6.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.2%)	2.4	1016^th of 1044 public elementary schools	2.7%		2.2	1038^th of 1061 public elementary schools	2.2%	22	14.6	5.0	17.2				9.5	0.0	3.5				9.8		4.9		$18,807	$3,949	$14,858

Frequently Asked Questions about Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary

What district is Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary in?

Milwaukee School District

Is Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary a good school?

Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary ranks in the bottom 1.1% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary?

Students at Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary are 82% African American, 6% Asian, 6% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary attend?

Students who attend Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : King International Baccalaureate Middle
Middle : Lincoln Middle
Middle : Roosevelt Middle
High : Audubon Technology and Communication High
High : Bradley Technology High
High : Carmen Mid/High Northwest Campus
High : James Madison Academic Campus
High : King International
High : Milwaukee High School of the Arts
High : Milwaukee School of Languages
High : Reagan College Preparatory High

How many students attend Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 384 students attended Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.