Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Wisconsin rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

Be the first to know when we post new rankings!

Holmes Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-8

930^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 10% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Holmes Elementary is a PK–8 school at 2463 N Buffum St in Milwaukee, WI, serving 260 students in the Milwaukee School District, a district ranked 418th of 432 in Wisconsin.

In 2025–2026, Holmes Elementary ranked 930th of 1,039 schools statewide (10th percentile, 1 star), a meaningful improvement from the 1st–2nd percentile in 2021–2023. Among nearby schools, it sits above most traditional Milwaukee public schools: Cass Street Elementary and Fratney Elementary (6th percentile), King Junior Elementary (5th), Carver Academy and Riverwest Elementary (3rd), Elm Creative Arts Elementary (2nd), LaFollette Elementary (1st), and Gaenslen Elementary (0th). It trails Milwaukee College Preparatory School -- Lloyd Street (16th) and Milwaukee College Preparatory School: Lola Rowe North Campus (20th). The school has the highest free/reduced-lunch rate nearby (98.46% in 2024–2025), spends $23,641 per student, and has a 13.5 student-teacher ratio. Chronic absenteeism is 56.3%, above the district’s 46.2% and the state’s 17.3%, though improved from 77.8% in 2021–2022. The dropout rate is 0.0%, better than district and state.

Academically, 3rd grade is the bright spot: 2025–2026 ELA and math proficiency were both 44%, above district averages (21.43% and 22.62%) but below state averages. In 2024–2025, 3rd-grade math reached 72.22%. Middle grades are much weaker: 5th-grade math and 8th-grade science were 0% proficient, 8th-grade ELA 5%, 8th-grade math 10%, and 5th-grade ELA 8.7%. Subgroup results are mixed: one student group ranked in the 42nd percentile in 2024–2025, far above the school’s overall 12th percentile, while special education, female, and male students ranked in the low teens or single digits. Overall, the school is a high-poverty school with recent improvement, strong 3rd-grade results, and low dropout, but chronic absenteeism and middle-grade math and science remain urgent priorities. It outperforms most nearby traditional schools despite higher poverty, while still trailing the two nearby college-preparatory campuses.

260

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,641

Per pupil spending ?

Community Eligibility

All students receive free meals (2024-25) ?

76%

Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements (2025-26)

2463 N Buffum St
Milwaukee, WI 53212-2901

(414) 267-1300

District: Milwaukee School District

Students who attend Holmes 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:

90.0%

Hispanic:

4.6%

Two or more races:

3.5%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Holmes Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 3rd percentile in 2016 → 10th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (15% vs 55% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (10th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (56% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school15%

District avg25%

Wisconsin avg55%

Elementary school

930^th of 1,039

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 10%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 3% (2016) to bottom 10% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

614^th of 643

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 5%▲ up 4 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 5% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

33^rd of 105Elementary Schools in the Milwaukee School District

418^th 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	9.9	930 of 1039	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	13.1	923 of 1044	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	4.9	986 of 1061	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.8	1047 of 1067	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	2.5	1056 of 1067	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.8	1021 of 1050	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.4	1011 of 1037	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.8	988 of 1025	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.1	1033 of 1071	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.1	1041 of 1075	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	6.3	1000 of 1076	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.5	1050 of 1061	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	1.5	1042 of 1053	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.1	1041 of 1045	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	0.6	1035 of 1046	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	0.6	1039 of 1045	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	1.2	1012 of 1030	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.2	1017 of 1021	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	0.8	684 of 689	0.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	1.2	704 of 712	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	0.1	631 of 632	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	0.2	631 of 633	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	84 of 144	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.8	112 of 165	32.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	13.9	869 of 986	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	10.9	899 of 1001	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	4.7	953 of 1011	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.4	996 of 1010	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.2	999 of 1017	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.1	940 of 1004	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.3	972 of 1002	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	957 of 997	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	8.2	908 of 989	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.3	984 of 1000	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	933 of 1012	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.9	980 of 1011	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.2	995 of 1017	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	4.0	979 of 1003	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	3.8	971 of 1002	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	3.1	970 of 997	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	17.1	714 of 802	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.2	670 of 790	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	20.0	665 of 770	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.9	731 of 748	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	18.4	677 of 746	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	15.0	713 of 742	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.0	670 of 721	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	3.2	614 of 643	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.2	611 of 628	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.4	634 of 641	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.6	618 of 640	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.0	613 of 617	0.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	2.8	608 of 613	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.7	594 of 594	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.0	548 of 579	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.5	580 of 612	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	1.5	608 of 609	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.7	600 of 612	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.3	580 of 585	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.0	541 of 569	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	0.1	557 of 559	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	0.4	541 of 549	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	0.6	534 of 539	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	0.4	515 of 521	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	0.3	515 of 519	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	1.1	360 of 366	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	0.7	372 of 382	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	0.0	332 of 332	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	0.7	315 of 324	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	15.7	118 of 125	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	36.4	75 of 123	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	4.2	544 of 572	4.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	3.6	551 of 573	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	1.4	579 of 580	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.9	569 of 579	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.2	576 of 576	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.2	573 of 574	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.2	549 of 557	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	4.2	525 of 551	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	4.0	549 of 575	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	2.7	560 of 577	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.1	576 of 585	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.5	554 of 591	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.0	566 of 577	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.5	567 of 572	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.2	556 of 557	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.4	519 of 551	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	19.3	387 of 439	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	12.8	401 of 414	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.3	410 of 425	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	421 of 439	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	18.3	400 of 421	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.4	425 of 437	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	16.9	401 of 414	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.0	388 of 417	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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

African American (2025)42nd percentile+30 vs school

Female (2026)12th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)11th percentile~ school

Male (2026)8th percentile~ school

Middle school

Special Education (2026)12th percentile+7 vs school

African American (2026)6th percentile~ school

Female (2026)5th percentile~ school

Male (2026)5th percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts18%-36 vs state

Social Studies17%-48 vs state

Mathematics13%-40 vs state

Science10%-43 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Holmes Elementary and help other families decide.

Rate Holmes Elementary

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Holmes Elementary

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)						Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)						Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)		Forward Exam Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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	Vaccination: Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
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	—	2 (0.8%)	234 (90.0%)	12 (4.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.5%)	9.9	930^th of 1039 public elementary schools	10.5%		13.1	923^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	11.6%	7	44.0	4.8	8.7	12.0	25.0	5.0	44.0	4.8	0.0	4.2	14.3	10.0	23.8	10.0	19.1	0.0	76%		$23,641	$3,032	$20,609
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%)	2.9	1004^th of 1039 public elementary schools	3.4%		3.1	1006^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.6%	2	11.1	12.1	10.3				7.4	9.1	5.1				18.2		15.2		23%		$22,740	$2,670	$20,070
Carver Academy	Public	PK, KG-8	1900 N 1st St	Milwaukee	53212	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 267-0500	324	20	15.8	94.4%	2 (0.6%)	300 (92.6%)	10 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.7%)	2.8	1005^th of 1039 public elementary schools	3.3%		3.5	998^th of 1044 public elementary schools	4.4%	7	14.3	3.9	14.3	12.5	7.4	18.2	18.5	3.9	0.0	8.3	15.4	4.8	20.0	13.6	3.9	13.6	63%		$20,547	$2,763	$17,785
Cass Street Elementary	Public	PK, KG-8	1647 N Cass St	Milwaukee	53202	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 212-2700	312	17	18.4	92.6%	6 (1.9%)	267 (85.6%)	18 (5.8%)	4 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.4%)	5.2	972^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	6.4%		2.2	1023^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	2.0%	51	16.7	8.3	24.0	32.1	17.2	33.3	8.3	0.0	8.0	17.9	17.2	8.3	12.5	33.3	4.2	12.5	76%		$20,266	$2,888	$17,377
Fratney Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	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%)	5.2	973^rd of 1039 public elementary schools	6.4%		7.6	954^th of 1044 public elementary schools	8.6%	19	14.1	21.6	24.0	16.1			13.6	7.7	12.0	16.1			25.0		17.3		71%		$18,527	$2,808	$15,720
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	1034^th of 1039 public elementary schools	0.5%		1.3	1040^th of 1044 public elementary schools	0.4%	6	1.8	2.1	8.9	4.5	2.0	12.0	1.8	0.0	3.6	3.0	6.1	4.0	6.4	22.0	0.0	10.0	77%		$25,310	$3,135	$22,175
Elm Creative Arts Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	900 W Walnut St	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 267-1800	335	20	17.1	94.3%	3 (0.9%)	288 (86.0%)	21 (6.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (6.6%)	2.5	1014^th of 1039 public elementary schools	2.4%		3.3	1002^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	4.0%	12	13.0	11.6	15.9				2.2	0.0	9.1				11.6		7.0		57%		$18,665	$2,849	$15,816
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%)	4	990^th of 1039 public elementary schools	4.7%		2.8	1010^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.3%	20	0.0	13.6	16.0	12.0	12.5	6.7	0.0	22.7	4.0	12.0	6.3	0.0	22.7	13.3	18.2	0.0	66%		$20,322	$3,216	$17,106
Milwaukee College Preparatory School -- Lloyd Street	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1228 W Lloyd St	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 264-6000	492	19	25.8	90.7%	0 (0.0%)	462 (93.9%)	21 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.4%)	19.4	868^th of 1039 public elementary schools	16.5%		13.8	917^th of 1044 public elementary schools	12.2%	49	19.6	28.0	38.6	36.2	33.3	30.6	45.7	48.0	20.5	27.7	33.3	20.4	38.0	40.8	18.0	20.4			$20,022	$2,627	$17,395
Milwaukee College Preparatory School: Lola Rowe North Campus	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1350 W North Ave	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 264-6600	496	20	24.8	84.5%	2 (0.4%)	452 (91.1%)	18 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.2%)	25.9	829^th of 1039 public elementary schools	20.2%		16.9	894^th of 1044 public elementary schools	14.4%	65	29.8	31.3	33.3	53.5	54.4	43.8	53.2	37.5	31.3	41.9	30.4	43.8	35.4	62.5	29.2	39.6			$20,220	$2,740	$17,479

Frequently Asked Questions about Holmes Elementary

What schools do graduates of Holmes Elementary attend?

Students who attend Holmes 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 district is Holmes Elementary in?

Milwaukee School District

Is Holmes Elementary a good school?

Holmes Elementary ranks in the bottom 10.5% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Holmes Elementary?

Students at Holmes Elementary are 90% African American, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% American Indian.

How many students attend Holmes Elementary?

In the 2024-25 school year, 260 students attended Holmes Elementary.

Rate Holmes Elementary!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

WIWisconsin Elementary School Rankings

WIWisconsin District Rankings

Schools in Milwaukee, WI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Holmes Elementary!

Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2018–19 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 20, 2026

2016–17 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 19, 2026

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

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.