Hamilton High

Hamilton High is a large public high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving roughly 1,472 students in grades 9–12 — the biggest enrollment among the nearby schools compared here — as part of the Milwaukee School District, which ranks 418th of 432 districts statewide. Hamilton itself ranks 509th of 533 Wisconsin high schools in 2025–2026 (5th percentile, 0 stars), and it has never climbed above the 5th percentile in the available rank history. About 78.6% of its students were economically disadvantaged in 2024–2025, and the school spends $19,450 per student with a student-teacher ratio of 14.7.

Academics are the clearest challenge. In 2025–2026, proficiency rates were 13.3% in social studies, 11.69% in English language arts, 7.86% in science, and just 3.88% in math — below the district average in every subject and far below the state average. Chronic absenteeism stands at 73.6%, compared with 46.2% district-wide and 17.3% statewide, and graduation is 64.1% while the dropout rate is 4.9%; the graduation rate trails the district by 7.4 points and the state by 27.9 points. There are modest signs of movement: graduation climbed from 50.1% in 2021–2022, dropout fell from 9.8% in 2023–2024, and the school's percentile rank edged up from the 1st percentile to the 5th.

Nearby comparisons are telling. Reagan College Preparatory High, in the same district about three miles away with similar enrollment, ranks in the 89th percentile and graduates 98.8%. Carmen High School of Science and Technology South Campus serves a higher share of economically disadvantaged students yet graduates 93.8% with 25.5% chronic absenteeism. Hamilton outperforms only Pulaski High in most measures. Notably, Hamilton spends more per student than Greenfield High and Central High and has smaller classes than several neighbors, suggesting attendance, instruction, and student support — especially in math — are the more pressing levers.