Summary
Rocketship Southside Community Prep is a public charter elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with 398 students. The school is part of the Rocketship Education Wisconsin Inc. district, which is ranked 412 out of 426 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Rocketship Southside Community Prep has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Wisconsin elementary schools over the past several years, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.
The school's academic performance is a significant concern, as it consistently underperforms the state and district averages on the Forward Exam in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, and Science. For example, in 2024-2025, only 26.56% of 3rd graders were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 52.14% statewide. In Math, the school's 3rd grade proficiency rate was 43.28%, compared to 55% statewide. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as Female, Male, and Special Education students, ranking in the bottom 20% of Wisconsin elementary schools in those categories. However, the school performed better for Hispanic and English Language Learner students, ranking in the top 50% and top 20% respectively in those subgroups.
When comparing Rocketship Southside Community Prep to the nearby public schools in the Milwaukee School District, it becomes clear that the charter school is underperforming its traditional public school counterparts. For instance, U.S. Grant School and Manitoba Elementary, both located within a mile of Rocketship, outperformed the charter school on the Forward Exam in both ELA and Math across multiple grade levels. Despite the school's low academic performance, its per-student spending is on par with or higher than the nearby traditional public schools, suggesting that the issue may not be a lack of resources, but rather how those resources are being utilized.
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