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Holmes Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-8

923^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 12% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Holmes Elementary is a public elementary school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving 289 students in grades PK-8. It 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.

Holmes Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Wisconsin elementary schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger for most years, indicating very poor performance. The school significantly underperforms the Milwaukee School District and the state of Wisconsin in proficiency rates across all grade levels and subject areas on the Forward Exam. For example, in 2024-2025, only 4.35% of 5th graders at Holmes Elementary were proficient in English Language Arts, compared to 21.42% in the Milwaukee School District and 51.26% statewide. The school's math proficiency rates are also extremely low, with 0% of 5th, 6th, and 8th graders reaching proficiency in 2024-2025. Holmes Elementary also has very high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.7% to 68.6% in recent years, and relatively high dropout rates, ranging from 1.3% to 5.6%.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Milwaukee School District, such as Carver Academy, Cass Street Elementary, and Gaenslen Elementary, also perform poorly and have similar demographic and socioeconomic profiles to Holmes Elementary, suggesting that the challenges faced by Holmes Elementary are not unique and may be systemic issues within the broader Milwaukee School District.

260

Students ?

13.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,830

Per pupil spending ?

98.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

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 — 7th percentile in 2015 → 12th in 2025

Strengths

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

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (15% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (12th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg23%

Wisconsin avg54%

Elementary school

923^rd of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 12%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 7% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

611^th of 628

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 3%▲ up 1 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

28^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	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
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
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
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
2018	36.4	75 of 123	39.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
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
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
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

Special Education (2025)11th percentile~ school

Female (2025)10th percentile~ school

Male (2025)2nd percentile-10 vs school

Middle school

African American (2018)39th percentile+34 vs school

Female (2025)4th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)3rd percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies38%-25 vs state

English Language Arts12%-40 vs state

Mathematics12%-41 vs state

Science5%-45 vs state

★

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Schools Near Holmes 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
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
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
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%)	3.5	998^th of 1044 public elementary schools	4.4%		3.6	1009^th of 1061 public elementary schools	4.9%	11	25.0	10.7	11.1	3.2	15.8	12.0	21.4	0.0	7.4	0.0	10.5	0.0	14.8	16.0	3.6	0.0	$15,188	$2,589	$12,599
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%)	2.2	1023^rd of 1044 public elementary schools	2.0%		2.4	1030^th of 1061 public elementary schools	2.9%	7	10.0	0.0	6.3	14.8	17.2	8.3	16.7	0.0	3.1	3.7	13.8	4.2	0.0	21.7	0.0	8.3	$16,838	$2,733	$14,105
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
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
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%)	3.3	1002^nd of 1044 public elementary schools	4.0%		2	1042^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	1.8%	40	2.6	17.5	4.4				2.6	17.5	0.0				27.5		12.5		$18,027	$3,660	$14,366
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
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%)	13.8	917^th of 1044 public elementary schools	12.2%		17.7	905^th of 1061 public elementary schools	14.7%	12	30.8	27.9	23.5	20.5	33.3	31.8	26.9	16.3	21.6	40.9	39.6	43.2	39.5	45.5	25.6	25.0	$14,944	$2,821	$12,122
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%)	16.9	894^th of 1044 public elementary schools	14.4%		16.6	909^th of 1061 public elementary schools	14.3%	15	24.5	22.9	27.9	31.3	45.1	49.0	38.8	41.7	32.6	33.3	39.2	53.1	29.2	55.1	18.8	26.5	$15,053	$2,809	$12,244

Frequently Asked Questions about Holmes Elementary

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.

What district is Holmes Elementary in?

Milwaukee School District

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

Is Holmes Elementary a good school?

Holmes Elementary ranks in the bottom 11.6% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

How many students attend Holmes Elementary?

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

Rate Holmes Elementary!

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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.