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Bruce Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5

953^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 9% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Bruce Elementary is a public elementary school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving 286 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Milwaukee School District, which is ranked 415 out of 426 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Bruce Elementary consistently ranks among the lowest-performing elementary schools in Wisconsin, with its statewide ranking ranging from 953 to 1054 out of over 1,000 schools in recent years. The school's performance on the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's standardized assessment, is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. Additionally, Bruce Elementary has extremely high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 16.8% to 50.4% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state and district averages. The school serves a student population that is predominantly from low-income families, with 94.76% to 98.57% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

Despite the high per-student spending and relatively low student-teacher ratio at Bruce Elementary, the school has consistently ranked among the lowest-performing schools in Wisconsin, with little to no improvement in its academic performance over the past decade. The nearby schools, such as Engleburg Elementary, Kluge Elementary, and Kilbourn Elementary, also struggle with low academic performance and high rates of poverty and chronic absenteeism, suggesting that the challenges faced by Bruce Elementary are not unique but rather reflective of the broader educational challenges in the Milwaukee area.

270

Students ?

18.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,209

Per pupil spending ?

94.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6453 N 89th St
Milwaukee, WI 53224-5307

(414) 393-2100

District: Milwaukee School District

Students who attend Bruce 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:

81.5%

Two or more races:

6.7%

Asian:

5.6%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Bruce Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 4th percentile in 2015 → 9th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (19% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (34% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg22%

Wisconsin avg54%

953^rd of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 4% (2015) to bottom 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

38^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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	7.7	953 of 1044	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.6	1025 of 1061	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.6	1000 of 1067	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.9	1012 of 1067	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	2.8	1043 of 1050	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.5	992 of 1037	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.7	957 of 1025	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.0	1054 of 1071	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.0	991 of 1075	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	2.9	1037 of 1076	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.9	1044 of 1061	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.0	1022 of 1053	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.7	1027 of 1045	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	3.5	1014 of 1046	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	4.1	1012 of 1045	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.0	956 of 1030	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.6	947 of 1021	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	8.7	638 of 689	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	7.7	656 of 712	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	2.9	611 of 632	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	3.0	614 of 633	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	30.3	99 of 144	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	31.1	89 of 133	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.8	122 of 141	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.3	131 of 161	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	39.3	83 of 165	49.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	923 of 1001	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.6	955 of 1011	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	933 of 1010	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.2	982 of 1017	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.8	986 of 1004	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.4	947 of 1002	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	905 of 997	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	11.7	892 of 1000	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	2.2	999 of 1012	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.8	956 of 1011	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.5	946 of 1017	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.7	985 of 1003	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.8	970 of 1002	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.0	955 of 997	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	16.3	720 of 802	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.2	614 of 770	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.0	665 of 746	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	13.5	737 of 742	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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 (2025)31st percentile+23 vs school

Male (2025)11th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)10th percentile~ school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies33%-30 vs state

English Language Arts20%-32 vs state

Mathematics18%-35 vs state

Science7%-44 vs state

★

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Schools Near Bruce 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
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
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
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
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
Maple Tree Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6644 N 107th St	Milwaukee	53224	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 578-5100	235	13	17.8	94.9%	5 (2.1%)	186 (79.1%)	22 (9.4%)	3 (1.3%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.7%)	3.7	994^th of 1044 public elementary schools	4.8%		4	1004^th of 1061 public elementary schools	5.4%	10	5.3	11.8	18.5				5.3	11.8	7.4				11.8		17.7		$17,172	$4,152	$13,021
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
Engleburg Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	5100 N 91st St	Milwaukee	53225	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 616-5600	286	20	14.2	87.4%	5 (1.7%)	222 (77.6%)	17 (5.9%)	21 (7.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.4%)	16 (5.6%)	4.6	983^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	5.8%		5.3	980^th of 1061 public elementary schools	7.6%	3	14.3	10.7	18.2				14.3	17.9	12.1				21.4		10.7		$18,020	$3,195	$14,825
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Bruce Elementary

What is the racial makeup of Bruce Elementary?

Students at Bruce Elementary are 81% African American, 7% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 4% Hispanic, 1% White.

How many students attend Bruce Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 270 students attended Bruce Elementary.

Is Bruce Elementary a good school?

Bruce Elementary ranks in the bottom 8.7% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

What district is Bruce Elementary in?

Milwaukee School District

What schools do graduates of Bruce Elementary attend?

Students who attend Bruce 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

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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.