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Fernwood Montessori

Public Grades PK, KG-8
329th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools
Better than 68% of Wisconsin elementary schools
Summary

Fernwood Montessori is a public PK–8 school in the Milwaukee School District, located at 3239 S Pennsylvania Ave on Milwaukee's south side, with 731 students. In 2025–2026 it ranked 329th of 1,039 Wisconsin elementary schools — the 68th percentile, with 3 stars — up from the 38th percentile in 2018–2019. That is notable because the Milwaukee School District ranks 418th of 432 districts statewide (3rd percentile, 0 stars).

In English language arts, Fernwood Montessori's average proficiency across grades 3–8 is about 72.5%, compared with roughly 25.9% districtwide and 54.0% statewide, and every grade level beat the state average. Math averages about 51.1% — far above the district's roughly 20.7% but slightly below the state's 53.7%, with 3rd and 4th grades below 42% and 7th grade at 50%. Social studies and science are standouts: 87.88% and 77.27% in 4th grade, and 83.13% and 77.11% in 8th grade, versus state averages of 65.51%, 53.46%, 64.63%, and 51.86%. Chronic absenteeism was just 8.9% in 2024–2025, versus 46.2% districtwide and 17.3% statewide.

Nearby, only Bay View Montessori School has lower absenteeism (3.1%), while its ELA (about 66.2%) and math (about 43.5%) trail Fernwood's; Riley Dual Language Montessori School, Burdick Elementary, Clement Avenue Elementary, Humboldt Park Elementary, Milwaukee Parkside School, and Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies lag by wide margins. Downtown Montessori has higher average ELA (about 81.4%) but is much smaller and in a different district. Fernwood achieves its results with a student-teacher ratio of 21.6 and per-student spending of $16,593 — larger classes and less money than most same-district peers — and the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (20.52%) among them. Hispanic students rank in the 80th percentile with 4 stars, special education students at the 72nd percentile with 4 stars, and low-income students at the 55th percentile with 3 stars.

731
Students ?
21.6
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,593
Per pupil spending ?
20.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 3239 S Pennsylvania Ave
       Milwaukee, WI  53207-3131

(414) 294-1300

District: Milwaukee School District


Students who attend Fernwood Montessori usually attend:

Middle:    King International Baccalaureate Middle
    Lincoln Middle
    Roosevelt Middle
High:    Audubon Technology and Communication High
    Bradley Technology High
    King International
    Milwaukee High School of the Arts
    More...
Racial breakdown:

White:
64.6%
Hispanic:
21.1%
Two or more races:
7.9%
more
 See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

 Compare Fernwood Montessori to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 63rd percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Wisconsin average (67% vs 55% meeting standards)
✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2016
✓Among the top-ranked schools in Milwaukee School District
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school67%
District avg25%
Wisconsin avg55%
Elementary school
329th of 1,039
Wisconsin public elementary schools ?
Top 32%▲ up 5 pts since 2016
From top 37% (2016) to top 32% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
115th of 643
Wisconsin public middle schools ?
Top 18%▼ down 9 pts since 2016
From top 9% (2016) to top 18% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
4th of 105Elementary Schools in the Milwaukee School District
418th of 432Milwaukee 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202668.9329 of 103968.3%★★★☆☆
202563.5405 of 104461.2%★★★☆☆
202460.2486 of 106154.2%★★★☆☆
202356.7503 of 106752.9%★★★☆☆
202251.4574 of 106746.2%★★☆☆☆
202148.8601 of 105042.8%★★☆☆☆
201946.2639 of 103738.4%★★☆☆☆
201851.5555 of 102545.9%★★☆☆☆
201755.9494 of 107153.9%★★★☆☆
201662.6393 of 107563.4%★★★☆☆
201555.8555 of 107648.4%★★☆☆☆
201479.9126 of 106188.1%★★★★☆
201375.0186 of 105382.3%★★★★☆
201270.5268 of 104574.4%★★★★☆
201153.7600 of 104642.6%★★☆☆☆
201058.8501 of 104552.1%★★★☆☆
200948.6661 of 103035.8%★★☆☆☆
200843.5739 of 102127.6%★☆☆☆☆
200740.5516 of 68925.1%★☆☆☆☆
200543.4434 of 63231.3%★★☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202666.0328 of 98666.7%★★★☆☆
202569.2300 of 100170.0%★★★★☆
202459.6455 of 101155.0%★★★☆☆
202358.5452 of 101055.2%★★★☆☆
202249.4572 of 101743.8%★★☆☆☆
202148.2559 of 100444.3%★★☆☆☆
201942.8650 of 100235.1%★★☆☆☆
201851.5545 of 99745.3%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202671.870 of 34779.8%★★★★☆
202564.588 of 32272.7%★★★★☆
202455.9124 of 33162.5%★★★☆☆
202351.8123 of 29057.6%★★★☆☆
202233.9195 of 29634.1%★★☆☆☆
202154.597 of 27464.6%★★★☆☆
201954.199 of 26662.8%★★★☆☆
201862.374 of 27172.7%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202654.1381 of 84855.1%★★★☆☆
202553.7388 of 87055.4%★★★☆☆
202456.8357 of 86658.8%★★★☆☆
202352.8395 of 87154.6%★★★☆☆
202227.7685 of 85920.3%★☆☆☆☆
202130.4645 of 84723.8%★☆☆☆☆
201931.1669 of 87423.5%★☆☆☆☆
201848.8430 of 85449.6%★★☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202669.2302 of 98969.5%★★★☆☆
202554.2504 of 100049.6%★★☆☆☆
202459.7459 of 101254.6%★★★☆☆
202354.4512 of 101149.4%★★☆☆☆
202254.2497 of 101751.1%★★★☆☆
202150.6558 of 100344.4%★★☆☆☆
201950.8531 of 100247.0%★★☆☆☆
201851.9528 of 99747.0%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202664.5221 of 79172.1%★★★★☆
202554.1323 of 80259.7%★★★☆☆
202463.5231 of 79070.8%★★★★☆
202354.9290 of 77062.3%★★★☆☆
202249.7329 of 74856.0%★★★☆☆
202150.5321 of 74657.0%★★★☆☆
201939.7426 of 74242.6%★★☆☆☆
201837.5460 of 72136.2%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202664.5232 of 69766.7%★★★☆☆
202560.4288 of 71859.9%★★★☆☆
202458.0305 of 72758.0%★★★☆☆
202356.3307 of 71557.1%★★★☆☆
202249.2387 of 70445.0%★★☆☆☆
202145.0403 of 69942.3%★★☆☆☆
201942.7448 of 71837.6%★★☆☆☆
201848.1380 of 68644.6%★★☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202677.6115 of 64382.1%★★★★☆
202578.597 of 62884.6%★★★★☆
202473.0153 of 64176.1%★★★★☆
202361.9216 of 64066.3%★★★☆☆
202262.2208 of 61766.3%★★★☆☆
202166.6169 of 61372.4%★★★★☆
201975.3109 of 59481.6%★★★★☆
201872.0119 of 57979.4%★★★★☆
201769.2152 of 61275.2%★★★★☆
201682.856 of 60990.8%★★★★★
201562.8215 of 61264.9%★★★☆☆
201480.359 of 58589.9%★★★★★
201383.242 of 56992.6%★★★★★
201274.972 of 55987.1%★★★★☆
201161.6237 of 54956.8%★★★☆☆
201053.7320 of 53940.6%★★☆☆☆
200956.7281 of 52146.1%★★☆☆☆
200859.4251 of 51951.6%★★★☆☆
200758.5211 of 36642.3%★★☆☆☆
200424.1283 of 32412.7%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202672.1142 of 57275.2%★★★★☆
202575.8110 of 57380.8%★★★★☆
202466.9186 of 58067.9%★★★☆☆
202357.8227 of 57960.8%★★★☆☆
202260.8205 of 57664.4%★★★☆☆
202156.5244 of 57457.5%★★★☆☆
201965.3169 of 55769.7%★★★☆☆
201861.7209 of 55162.1%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202676.041 of 23682.6%★★★★☆
202562.075 of 23768.4%★★★☆☆
202466.864 of 23973.2%★★★★☆
202366.458 of 22974.7%★★★★☆
202256.579 of 22164.3%★★★☆☆
202168.343 of 22580.9%★★★★☆
201992.210 of 20995.2%★★★★★
201877.424 of 20488.2%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202656.4200 of 51361.0%★★★☆☆
202557.9199 of 50960.9%★★★☆☆
202463.7150 of 52071.2%★★★★☆
202353.8211 of 52559.8%★★★☆☆
202242.1313 of 52240.0%★★☆☆☆
202126.8410 of 49917.8%★☆☆☆☆
201961.5138 of 48771.7%★★★★☆
201852.5209 of 48957.3%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202681.074 of 57587.1%★★★★☆
202578.288 of 57784.7%★★★★☆
202478.487 of 58585.1%★★★★☆
202366.1175 of 59170.4%★★★★☆
202263.4179 of 57769.0%★★★☆☆
202174.6103 of 57282.0%★★★★☆
201983.148 of 55791.4%★★★★★
201879.861 of 55188.9%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202684.216 of 13588.1%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202669.380 of 43981.8%★★★★☆
202567.499 of 41476.1%★★★★☆
202463.7109 of 42574.4%★★★★☆
202363.398 of 43977.7%★★★★☆
202256.5140 of 42166.7%★★★☆☆
202132.3315 of 43727.9%★☆☆☆☆
201945.2207 of 41450.0%★★★☆☆
201863.785 of 41779.6%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202676.567 of 39182.9%★★★★☆
202580.358 of 39985.5%★★★★☆
202468.8104 of 40774.4%★★★★☆
202358.5160 of 41261.2%★★★☆☆
202263.5117 of 39770.5%★★★★☆
202170.883 of 39378.9%★★★★☆
201981.041 of 38289.3%★★★★☆
201877.450 of 37586.7%★★★★☆
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)
Elementary school
Hispanic (2026)80th percentile+11 vs school
Special Education (2026)72nd percentile+4 vs school
Male (2026)69th percentile~ school
Female (2026)67th percentile~ school
White (2026)67th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)55th percentile-13 vs school
Middle school
Multi-racial (2026)88th percentile+6 vs school
Male (2026)87th percentile+5 vs school
White (2026)83rd percentile~ school
Hispanic (2026)83rd percentile~ school
Special Education (2026)82nd percentile~ school
Female (2026)75th percentile-7 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)61st percentile-21 vs school
By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?
Social Studies85%+20 vs state
Science77%+25 vs state
English Language Arts73%+19 vs state
Mathematics52%~ state avg

4.3
4 ratings · 3 written reviews
5★3
4★0
3★0
2★1
1★0
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What people are saying
by a student
Friday, November 2, 2018

Open Quote The best! Close Quote


by a parent
Saturday, February 21, 2015

Open Quote While this is one of the best school options in Milwaukee, I will say it's not perfect. We're foster parents and our son has some very minor special needs related to the grief of loosing foster siblings this year. He just started K4 and has a very rigid Montessori teacher unwilling to bend at all to the simple instructions his psychologist has outlined for his success at school. We sat in a meeting with this teacher, the principal, and a family advocate and made informal agreements. Then the teacher refused to follow through because it didn't fit the "one size fits all" Montessori approach. She actually texted me, after the meeting around 8pm at night, to tell me how our need for more praise, a snack that wasn't just a raw unseasoned organic vegetable, and a little heads up before transitions was too far outside the lines of Montessori "science". She then said that praise will destroy our child's intrinsic motivation. Please know that all modern day science and a 30 year study at the Yale Parenting Institute has shown that praise will only increase intrinsic motivation-so don't drink the kool-aid or should I say raw, organic, unseasoned, filtered water! Please beware that if you have a child with special needs you WILL NOT get the help you need at this school without a lot of conflict. Its borderline discriminating and very exclusive for a public school! Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, September 10, 2009

Open Quote Fernwood is an excellent school choice, especially for those living in Milwaukee. Our son gets a great education at Fernwood. I would recommend this school to anyone. Close Quote




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Frequently Asked Questions about Fernwood Montessori

Students at Fernwood Montessori are 65% White, 21% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races, 5% African American.

Fernwood Montessori ranks 329th of 1039 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 731 students attended Fernwood Montessori.

Rate Fernwood Montessori!



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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »
2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresNewOct 1, 2026
2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026
2024–25 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesMar 5, 2026
2024–25 ACT & Forward Exam scoresSep 25, 2025


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.

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