Summary
Shalom High is a small public high school serving grades 9–12 with 101 students on Milwaukee's near north side, part of the Milwaukee School District, in a dense cluster of MPS high schools. It serves an almost entirely low-income population (88.1% free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25). For as long as state data goes back, it has ranked at or near the very bottom of Wisconsin high schools: in 2025-26 it placed 532nd of 533 ranked high schools, the lowest rank in this comparison group. The district itself ranks 418th of 432.
On academics, Shalom High is the only school in the group reporting 0% proficiency in all four tested subjects in 2025-26—social studies, ELA, math, and science. Nearby schools like Alliance School of Milwaukee and North Division High have zeros in one or two subjects, but not all four. The clearest bright spot is graduation: Shalom High’s rate rose from 31.1% in 2020-21 to 65.9% in 2024-25, the largest five-year gain in the group and the highest rate among small MPS high schools. However, chronic absenteeism remains very high at 87.1% (versus 46.2% district and 17.3% state), and the dropout rate is 13.3%, about 3.3 times the district’s. Nearby schools like Groppi High (98.5% chronic absenteeism) and Transition High (99.0%) share these attendance problems, while Milwaukee High School of the Arts stands out with much better attendance (54.3%) and dropout (1.0%).
Resources are another concern: Shalom High spends $19,509 per pupil (2024-25), the second-lowest among nearby MPS schools, yet has the largest student–teacher ratio (16.8) of any MPS school in the group. The highest-spending neighbors, Groppi High ($30,719), Transition High ($30,156), and Project STAY-Supporting Teachers and Youth ($28,292), do not post better graduation rates, suggesting money alone is not the answer. Shalom High is the smallest school in the group, but its staffing is the thinnest relative to students. The key question for parents: the graduation improvement has not yet shown up in proficiency or attendance, which remain at or near the bottom statewide.
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