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Hartford Avenue Elementary

Q: Is Hartford Avenue Elementary a good school?

Hartford Avenue Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.5% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Hartford Avenue Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 256 students attended Hartford Avenue Elementary.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Hartford Avenue Elementary?

Students at Hartford Avenue Elementary are 84% African American, 8% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Hartford Avenue Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hartford Avenue 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 : King International High : Milwaukee High School of the Arts High : Milwaukee School of Languages High : Reagan College Preparatory High High : Riverside High

Public Grades PK, KG-8

997^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 5% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Hartford Avenue Elementary is a public elementary school serving grades PK-8 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 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. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Wisconsin elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 997 out of 1,044 schools.

Hartford Avenue Elementary struggles academically, with only 9.09% of 3rd graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 21.92% for the Milwaukee School District and 52.14% for the state. The school also has high rates of chronic absenteeism, ranging from 17.7% to 68.7% in recent years, and high dropout rates, ranging from 1.3% to 5.6%. Despite these challenges, the school's per-student spending is relatively high, suggesting that the issue may not be solely a lack of funding.

When comparing Hartford Avenue Elementary to other schools in the area, it performs significantly worse than nearby Fratney Elementary, which is just over a mile away and outperforms Hartford Avenue Elementary across multiple academic measures. However, the data suggests that there may be opportunities for improvement, as the school's performance on the 8th grade Forward Exam in English Language Arts and Social Studies is slightly better than its performance in other grade levels and subject areas.

256

Students ?

15.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,201

Per pupil spending ?

93%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2227 E Hartford Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53211-3101

(414) 906-4700

District: Milwaukee School District

Students who attend Hartford Avenue Elementary 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...
	Milwaukee School of Languages
	Reagan College Preparatory High
	Riverside High

Racial breakdown:

African American:

83.6%

Two or more races:

8.2%

Hispanic:

5.1%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Hartford Avenue Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 9th percentile in 2015 → 5th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (9% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (61% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school9%

District avg23%

Wisconsin avg54%

Elementary school

997^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 5%▼ down 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 9% (2015) to bottom 5% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

604^th of 628

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 4%▼ down 8 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 4% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

65^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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	3.5	997 of 1044	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.5	1049 of 1061	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.1	1041 of 1067	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.2	1024 of 1067	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.2	1035 of 1050	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.8	1007 of 1037	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.8	954 of 1025	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	4.0	1013 of 1071	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.9	992 of 1075	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	10.5	974 of 1076	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	17.0	933 of 1061	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	17.1	937 of 1053	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	14.9	950 of 1045	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	25.5	907 of 1046	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	17.3	941 of 1045	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	18.1	931 of 1030	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	21.8	900 of 1021	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	23.0	586 of 689	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	20.4	607 of 712	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	30.5	496 of 632	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	43.6	436 of 633	31.1%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	17.0	133 of 137	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.7	120 of 133	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.5	102 of 141	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.7	113 of 161	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.3	66 of 165	60.0%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	5.2	945 of 1001	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.2	993 of 1011	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.1	969 of 1010	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.3	979 of 1017	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.8	987 of 1004	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.2	959 of 1002	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.2	935 of 997	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2019	4.7	870 of 874	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.5	852 of 854	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	3.8	959 of 1000	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.0	1004 of 1012	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.8	998 of 1011	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.0	975 of 1017	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.2	975 of 1003	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.1	979 of 1002	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	8.3	921 of 997	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	25.3	638 of 802	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.3	648 of 770	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	16.9	690 of 748	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	20.4	647 of 746	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	723 of 742	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	606 of 721	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	2.7	604 of 628	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.1	599 of 641	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.7	606 of 640	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.6	576 of 617	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.6	574 of 613	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	5.3	558 of 594	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	534 of 579	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.8	565 of 612	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	11.1	545 of 609	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	15.3	537 of 612	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	9.7	527 of 585	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	16.5	505 of 569	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	16.7	510 of 559	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	13.2	503 of 549	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	4.7	513 of 539	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.5	480 of 521	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	9.6	479 of 519	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	13.0	328 of 366	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	13.3	338 of 382	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	18.0	111 of 118	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	102 of 130	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.5	83 of 125	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.6	79 of 134	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.0	77 of 127	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.6	55 of 123	55.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	3.2	554 of 573	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	535 of 580	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	5.8	552 of 579	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	8.0	535 of 576	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	9.9	520 of 574	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.7	526 of 557	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.4	501 of 551	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	9.8	507 of 525	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.0	481 of 487	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.3	466 of 489	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	3.0	553 of 577	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.9	557 of 585	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	553 of 591	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.6	541 of 577	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.2	556 of 572	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.3	511 of 557	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.7	511 of 551	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	22.0	350 of 414	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.0	348 of 425	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.0	347 of 439	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.3	353 of 421	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.4	379 of 437	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.6	361 of 414	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.0	311 of 417	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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

Special Education (2025)20th percentile+16 vs school

Female (2025)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

African American (2024)3rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2019)<1st percentile~ school

Middle school

Special Education (2025)15th percentile+12 vs school

African American (2024)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)4th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2023)3rd percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies21%-42 vs state

Science9%-42 vs state

English Language Arts8%-44 vs state

Mathematics6%-48 vs state

2.3

3 ratings · 2 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, December 5, 2014

Several years ago this was a great school with a community feel, now there's a pack mentality to the the student interaction (at least in the later grades) where anyone who doesn't fall inline with the bullies or who tries to stand up for themselves becomes targeted. School should not be a case of survival of the fittest. Close Quote

by a citizen
Monday, November 29, 2010

Hartford Ave School is wonderfully child-oriented, taking interest in each student as an individual. Classes are geared to bring out the best in each student. Close Quote

Schools Near Hartford Avenue 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
Hartford Avenue Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	2227 E Hartford Ave	Milwaukee	53211	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 906-4700	256	16	15.6	93.0%	4 (1.6%)	214 (83.6%)	13 (5.1%)	3 (1.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (8.2%)	3.5	997^th of 1044 public elementary schools	4.5%		1.5	1049^th of 1061 public elementary schools	1.1%	52	9.1	15.8	0.0	8.7	18.2	3.5	8.3	5.3	3.7	17.4	0.0	3.6	21.1	20.7	21.1	0.0	$13,201	$2,093	$11,107
Gaenslen Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	1250 E Burleigh St	Milwaukee	53212	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 267-5700	641	55	11.6	88.3%	19 (3.0%)	521 (81.3%)	58 (9.0%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.8%)	1.3	1040^th of 1044 public elementary schools	0.4%		1.4	1051^st of 1061 public elementary schools	0.9%	11	3.7	0.0	3.8	2.3	15.8	10.0	5.6	2.2	3.8	0.0	5.2	6.0	6.7	8.0	0.0	8.0	$19,592	$2,455	$17,137
Atwater Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	2100 E Capitol Dr	Shorewood	53211	Milwaukee County	Shorewood School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 963-6962	474	33	14.1	24.3%	301 (63.5%)	67 (14.1%)	37 (7.8%)	34 (7.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.5%)	84.2	104^th of 1044 public elementary schools	90.0%		82.2	131^st of 1061 public elementary schools	87.7%	27	77.4	66.2	78.5	70.3			79.3	72.5	66.7	73.4			84.1		75.4		$14,843	$666	$14,176
Fratney Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	3255 N Fratney St	Milwaukee	53212	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 267-1100	459	23	19.8	62.3%	45 (9.8%)	65 (14.2%)	333 (72.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.5%)	7.6	954^th of 1044 public elementary schools	8.6%		12.7	935^th of 1061 public elementary schools	11.9%	19	14.6	20.0	27.6				12.3	13.0	20.0				31.1		19.6		$15,670	$2,766	$12,905
Maryland Montessori	Public	PK, KG-8	2418 N Maryland Ave	Milwaukee	53211	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 906-4800	470	23	20.2	24.9%	281 (59.8%)	69 (14.7%)	49 (10.4%)	17 (3.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (11.3%)	67.4	355^th of 1044 public elementary schools	66.0%		63.3	432^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	59.3%	77	70.8	81.6	65.0	68.3	80.0	61.9	45.8	44.7	45.0	56.1	60.0	52.4	84.2	83.3	71.1	73.8	$11,728	$1,898	$9,830
Riverwest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2765 N Fratney St	Milwaukee	53212	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 267-4400	244	15	16.2	88.5%	12 (4.9%)	179 (73.4%)	38 (15.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.3%)	3.1	1006^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.6%		2.5	1028^th of 1061 public elementary schools	3.1%	22	17.1	13.9	12.1				8.6	5.6	6.1				16.7		8.3		$15,537	$3,748	$11,789
Lake Bluff Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	1600 E Lake Bluff Blvd	Shorewood	53211	Milwaukee County	Shorewood School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 963-6972	531	32	16.4	16.6%	343 (64.6%)	41 (7.7%)	58 (10.9%)	24 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	65 (12.2%)	83.9	110^th of 1044 public elementary schools	89.5%		88.8	47^th of 1061 public elementary schools	95.6%	63	67.6	63.5	76.1	88.7			73.0	67.6	74.6	80.7			89.2		68.9		$13,427	$352	$13,075
Holmes Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	2463 N Buffum St	Milwaukee	53212	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 267-1300	260	19	13.5	98.5%	2 (0.8%)	234 (90.0%)	12 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	13.1	923^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	11.6%		4.9	986^th of 1061 public elementary schools	7.1%	63	44.4	9.5	4.4	8.7	10.0	0.0	72.2	4.8	0.0	0.0	5.0	0.0	42.9	31.3	4.8	6.3	$18,830	$3,751	$15,079
King Junior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	3275 N 3rd St	Milwaukee	53212	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 267-1500	277	18	15.0	92.1%	0 (0.0%)	243 (87.7%)	20 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.1%)	2.8	1010^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.3%		2	1040^th of 1061 public elementary schools	2.0%	30	11.1	16.7	7.4	19.1	7.1	4.8	5.6	0.0	0.0	4.8	6.7	0.0	20.8	9.5	8.3	4.8	$17,347	$3,705	$13,642
Cumberland Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	4780 N Marlborough Dr	Whitefish Bay	53211	Milwaukee County	Whitefish Bay School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 963-3943	624	38	16.3		481 (77.1%)	23 (3.7%)	33 (5.3%)	40 (6.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.4%)	89.6	35^th of 1044 public elementary schools	96.6%		93.2	14^th of 1061 public elementary schools	98.7%	21	77.1	88.4	79.0				78.1	82.6	75.0				91.3		71.0		$11,182	$355	$10,828

Frequently Asked Questions about Hartford Avenue Elementary

Is Hartford Avenue Elementary a good school?

Hartford Avenue Elementary ranks in the bottom 4.5% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Hartford Avenue Elementary attend?

Students who attend Hartford Avenue 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 : King International
High : Milwaukee High School of the Arts
High : Milwaukee School of Languages
High : Reagan College Preparatory High
High : Riverside High

What is the racial makeup of Hartford Avenue Elementary?

Students at Hartford Avenue Elementary are 84% African American, 8% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 2% White, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Hartford Avenue Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 256 students attended Hartford Avenue Elementary.

What district is Hartford Avenue Elementary in?

Milwaukee School District

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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.