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Brown Deer Elementary

Q: Is Brown Deer Elementary a good school?

Brown Deer Elementary ranks 605 th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

605^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 42% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Brown Deer Elementary is a PK–5 public school on West Dean Road in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, serving about 709 students — the largest enrollment in its local comparison group — in a small suburban district on Milwaukee's northern border. It is the elementary school for the Brown Deer School District, so the district's overall rating reflects its middle and high school levels as much as this building.

By the numbers, this is a school on the rise. In 2025-26 it ranked 605th of 1,039 Wisconsin schools (42nd percentile, 2 stars), up from the 18th percentile in 2020-21 — a 24-point climb. Its students now average 53.1% proficient across tested subjects versus 54.8% statewide, shrinking a gap of more than 10 points in 2023-24 to under 2 points. Third-grade math is the standout: 80.73% proficient against a state figure of 54.75%. The school also serves its lower-income and English-learning students unusually well — low-income students rank in the 56th percentile statewide (up from the 31st two years earlier) and English learners in the 75th.

Compared with its neighbors, Brown Deer is the strongest non-selective public elementary in the immediate area. Thoreau Elementary, less than a mile away, sits at the 4th percentile, while Goodrich Elementary (11th), Bruce Elementary (12th) and Stuart Elementary (10th) trail well behind. Only Indian Hill School in the Maple Dale-Indian Hill School District ranks higher. Chronic absenteeism is 22.3%, far below the district's 30.6% and well under nearby Milwaukee School District schools in the 55–68% range. Two things to watch: proficiency drops noticeably between 3rd and 5th grade in two consecutive cohorts, and 4th-grade science trails the state by 11.8 points with wide year-to-year swings. It achieves all of this on $15,061 per student, the lowest in its comparison group.

709

Students ?

15.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,061

Per pupil spending ?

58.0%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

88%

Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements (2025-26)

5757 W Dean Rd
Brown Deer, WI 53223-2946

(414) 371-6800

District: Brown Deer School District

Students who attend Brown Deer Elementary usually attend:

High:

Brown Deer Middle/High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

50.9%

Asian:

18.5%

White:

12.8%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Brown Deer Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 18th percentile in 2021 → 42nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 42nd (2026) from a 18th-percentile low (2021)

Worth a look

!Science scores 12 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg53%

Wisconsin avg55%

605^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 42%▼ down 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 49% (2016) to bottom 42% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

362^nd of 432Brown Deer 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	49.1	605 of 1039	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	42.1	698 of 1044	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.4	766 of 1061	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.6	677 of 1067	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	30.7	813 of 1067	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.7	864 of 1050	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.3	694 of 1037	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.7	553 of 1025	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.6	607 of 1071	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	52.4	553 of 1075	48.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	53.2	586 of 1076	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	43.0	721 of 1061	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	32.9	829 of 1053	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	55.9	572 of 1045	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	46.9	726 of 1046	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	35.8	806 of 1045	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.1	818 of 1030	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	51.2	635 of 1021	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2007	59.0	362 of 689	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	65.7	299 of 712	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	46.0	422 of 632	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2004	52.0	388 of 633	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	86.6	6 of 150	96.0%	★★★★★
2025	85.9	9 of 144	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	82.0	13 of 137	90.5%	★★★★★
2023	91.4	4 of 138	97.1%	★★★★★
2022	73.9	21 of 133	84.2%	★★★★☆
2021	64.5	29 of 141	79.4%	★★★★☆
2019	77.0	26 of 161	83.9%	★★★★☆
2018	90.1	8 of 165	95.2%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	58.2	50 of 121	58.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	49.8	51 of 116	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.3	65 of 123	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	61 of 116	47.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.6	59 of 110	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.1	49 of 106	53.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	68.9	40 of 122	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.0	34 of 107	68.2%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	59.6	61 of 245	75.1%	★★★★☆
2025	57.2	74 of 255	71.0%	★★★★☆
2024	70.3	48 of 269	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	82.1	16 of 249	93.6%	★★★★★
2022	65.9	52 of 248	79.0%	★★★★☆
2021	69.0	40 of 222	82.0%	★★★★☆
2019	71.2	46 of 275	83.3%	★★★★☆
2018	74.1	46 of 287	84.0%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	56.4	479 of 986	51.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	43.7	656 of 1001	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.0	696 of 1011	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	49.0	574 of 1010	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	35.7	728 of 1017	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.3	816 of 1004	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	39.6	680 of 1002	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.9	467 of 997	53.2%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	54.2	126 of 322	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	88.7	26 of 331	92.1%	★★★★★
2023	85.5	32 of 290	89.0%	★★★★☆
2022	78.7	47 of 296	84.1%	★★★★☆
2021	58.2	86 of 274	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	81.7	32 of 266	88.0%	★★★★☆
2018	84.6	29 of 271	89.3%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	54.4	370 of 848	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.1	497 of 870	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.5	599 of 866	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	514 of 871	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	22.7	732 of 859	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.0	738 of 847	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	34.2	638 of 874	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	52.6	370 of 854	56.7%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	42.7	654 of 989	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	41.4	660 of 1000	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.6	741 of 1012	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.4	676 of 1011	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	28.6	800 of 1017	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	816 of 1003	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	45.3	614 of 1002	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	48.1	568 of 997	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	64.3	45 of 142	68.3%	★★★☆☆
2025	47.2	58 of 113	48.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.2	36 of 119	69.7%	★★★★☆
2023	67.9	29 of 96	69.8%	★★★★☆
2022	55.1	34 of 77	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.4	41 of 85	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.7	49 of 76	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2018	42.0	40 of 67	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	43.3	437 of 791	44.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.5	485 of 802	39.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.8	521 of 790	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.0	666 of 770	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.7	604 of 748	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.0	602 of 746	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.0	468 of 742	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.7	362 of 721	49.8%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	67.3	224 of 718	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	69.7	194 of 727	73.3%	★★★★☆
2023	58.6	283 of 715	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.6	256 of 704	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.6	379 of 699	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.9	322 of 718	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2018	60.7	259 of 686	62.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

African American (2026)96th percentile+54 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)75th percentile+33 vs school

White (2025)69th percentile+36 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)68th percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2025)61st percentile+28 vs school

Asian (2026)59th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)56th percentile+15 vs school

Female (2026)51st percentile+10 vs school

Special Education (2026)45th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)34th percentile-8 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics57%+4 vs state

Social Studies56%-9 vs state

English Language Arts52%~ state avg

Science42%-12 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Monday, October 9, 2017

The school has gone down over the years, the teachers try to do their best but as you move from grade to grade the level of performance on their behalf declines severely. The school administration of the district is poor to say the least, with fairly high taxes in the district - the employees hired by the district are questionable to say the least and most do not seem to be qualified to perform their jobs. A lot of kids out of district brought in to get more funding from state bringing the quality level of education down, while behavioral issues are up on the rise. What once was a decent suburban school district has turned into MPS like school environment along with issues that follow. Close Quote

Schools Near Brown Deer Elementary

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Ranking:

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)						Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)						Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)		Forward Exam Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Brown Deer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5757 W Dean Rd	Brown Deer	53223	Milwaukee County	Brown Deer School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 371-6800	709	46	15.3	58.0%	91 (12.8%)	361 (50.9%)	46 (6.5%)	131 (18.5%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (10.9%)	49.1	605^th of 1039 public elementary schools	41.8%		42.1	698^th of 1044 public elementary schools	33.1%	93	62.4	49.1	44.0				80.7	52.8	37.6				56.5		41.7		88%		$15,061	$967	$14,094
Thoreau Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	7878 N 60th St	Milwaukee	53223	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(262) 236-1800	353	23	15.3	95.8%	8 (2.3%)	303 (85.8%)	20 (5.7%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.7%)	3	997^th of 1039 public elementary schools	4.0%		3.2	1003^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	3.9%	6	2.9	21.7	7.7	14.6	6.1	11.1	2.9	0.0	0.0	7.1	6.1	14.8	30.4	18.5	17.4	14.8	22%		$20,913	$3,236	$17,677
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%)	4.3	985^th of 1039 public elementary schools	5.2%		3.9	992^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	5.0%	7	16.1	18.2	18.5				12.9	9.1	14.8				21.2		9.4		72%		$21,722	$2,779	$18,942
Hawthorne Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6945 N 41st St	Milwaukee	53209	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 247-7200	259	16	16.0	96.9%	3 (1.2%)	222 (85.7%)	20 (7.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	12 (4.6%)	2.8	1006^th of 1039 public elementary schools	3.2%		3.2	1005^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.7%	1	6.9	7.4	20.0				13.8	3.7	8.0				18.5		3.7				$22,933	$3,357	$19,576
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	982^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	5.5%		4.5	984^th of 1044 public elementary schools	5.7%	2	20.0	0.0	18.2	18.5	5.0	17.7	16.0	0.0	0.0	22.2	10.0	11.8	5.9	29.4	5.9	5.9
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%)	9.2	938^th of 1039 public elementary schools	9.7%		11.8	931^st of 1044 public elementary schools	10.8%	7	25.6	23.1	35.9				18.6	15.4	9.4				25.6		20.5		53%		$20,430	$2,753	$17,677
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%)	2.7	1009^th of 1039 public elementary schools	2.9%		1.6	1033^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	1.1%	24	15.0	5.7	0.0	24.4	0.0	25.9	7.5	2.9	0.0	4.9	3.0	7.4	11.8	22.2	2.9	11.5	62%		$26,248	$2,725	$23,523
Goodrich Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	8251 N Celina St	Milwaukee	53224	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(262) 236-1500	312	21	15.0	92.6%	8 (2.6%)	210 (67.3%)	22 (7.1%)	44 (14.1%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (8.3%)	10.9	926^th of 1039 public elementary schools	10.9%		6.4	963^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	7.8%	37	18.6	31.4	29.6				18.6	31.4	22.2				28.6		22.9		69%		$21,966	$2,702	$19,263
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%)	7.3	956^th of 1039 public elementary schools	8.0%		9.2	945^th of 1044 public elementary schools	9.5%	11	6.9	17.5	36.2	22.6	48.7	40.0	8.2	16.1	25.9	14.5	33.3	39.1	29.8	39.1	8.8	26.1	77%
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%)	14.1	913^th of 1039 public elementary schools	12.1%		7.7	953^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	8.7%	40	12.5	42.3	29.2				31.3	23.1	16.7				38.5		26.9		73%		$21,080	$2,956	$18,124

Frequently Asked Questions about Brown Deer Elementary

Is Brown Deer Elementary a good school?

Brown Deer Elementary ranks 605^th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Brown Deer Elementary attend?

Students who attend Brown Deer Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : Brown Deer Middle/High

What is the racial makeup of Brown Deer Elementary?

Students at Brown Deer Elementary are 51% African American, 18% Asian, 13% White, 11% Two or more races, 6% Hispanic.

How many students attend Brown Deer Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 709 students attended Brown Deer Elementary.

What district is Brown Deer Elementary in?

Brown Deer School District

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2018–19 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 20, 2026

2016–17 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

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.