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Kilbourn Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-5
1012th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 1,039 Wisconsin Elementary Schools
Better than 3% of Wisconsin elementary schools
Summary

Kilbourn Elementary is a small PK–5 school serving 218 students on Milwaukee's northwest side, within the Milwaukee School District. It has spent a decade in the bottom fifth of Wisconsin elementary schools and is currently at the 3rd percentile statewide for 2025–2026, with zero stars; the district itself ranks near the bottom of Wisconsin districts. About 91.3% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–2025, so this is a very high-poverty school.

On the 2025–2026 Forward Exam, Kilbourn trailed its own district in every tested subject and grade. Third-grade math had 0% proficiency, fourth-grade English language arts and social studies each had 4%, and fifth-grade ELA was 19.05%, compared with district and state results that were much higher. Chronic absenteeism is 62.9%, more than three times the state rate and above the district's 46.2%; among nearby schools, only Lancaster Elementary was higher. In subgroup results, female students ranked last among 986 Wisconsin schools reporting that group, and special education students have been in the 2nd–3rd percentile range for three years.

Comparisons with nearby schools show both challenges and a few exceptions. Craig Montessori School is similar in size, spending, and student-teacher ratio, but reports 13.3% chronic absenteeism versus Kilbourn's 62.9% and ranks at the 11th percentile versus 3rd; however, Craig serves a much lower-poverty population. Hampton Elementary, with comparable poverty and a higher student-teacher ratio, reached higher fourth-grade ELA and social studies proficiency, and Bryant Elementary also outperformed Kilbourn on those measures. Nearby charter options differ too: Rocketship Transformation Prep posted stronger math proficiency but low ELA, while Milwaukee Scholars Charter School shows the area's strongest upper-grade outcomes and serves grades 6–8. Kilbourn's per-pupil spending rose from $13,667 in 2019–20 to $21,690 in 2024–25 without a matching rise in rank. Because grades are small, single-year swings can be misleading; the 2024–25 spike was not sustained.

218
Students ?
16.8
Student/teacher ratio ?
$21,690
Per pupil spending ?
91.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 5354 N 68th St
       Milwaukee, WI  53218-2901

(414) 393-4500

District: Milwaukee School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:
85.8%
Hispanic:
8.3%
Two or more races:
2.8%
more
 See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

 Compare Kilbourn Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2016 → 3rd in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (8% vs 55% meeting standards)
!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)
!High chronic absenteeism (63% vs 17% Wisconsin)
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school8%
District avg23%
Wisconsin avg55%
1,012th of 1,039
Wisconsin public elementary schools ?
Bottom 3%▼ down 9 pts since 2016
From bottom 12% (2016) to bottom 3% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
80th 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)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
20262.61012 of 10392.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202523.1852 of 104418.4%★☆☆☆☆
20246.3975 of 10618.1%☆☆☆☆☆
20234.51017 of 10674.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20229.5963 of 10679.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202117.8896 of 105014.7%★☆☆☆☆
20195.0978 of 10375.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20183.4979 of 10254.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20178.8965 of 10719.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201613.6945 of 107512.1%★☆☆☆☆
20153.31033 of 10764.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20142.21033 of 10612.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20133.21020 of 10533.1%☆☆☆☆☆
201216.5943 of 10459.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201122.3931 of 104611.0%★☆☆☆☆
201023.4912 of 104512.7%★☆☆☆☆
200926.3885 of 103014.1%★☆☆☆☆
200829.4855 of 102116.3%★☆☆☆☆
200735.8536 of 68922.2%★☆☆☆☆
20062.9686 of 7123.7%☆☆☆☆☆
20059.1576 of 6328.9%☆☆☆☆☆
200431.3491 of 63322.4%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202613.2145 of 1503.3%☆☆☆☆☆
202348.754 of 13860.9%★★★☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
20261.3986 of 9860.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20259.8907 of 10019.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20248.6916 of 10119.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20238.9923 of 10108.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202220.2862 of 101715.2%★☆☆☆☆
20214.0984 of 10042.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20195.1951 of 10025.1%☆☆☆☆☆
20186.5931 of 9976.6%☆☆☆☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
20266.8919 of 9897.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202535.2725 of 100027.5%★☆☆☆☆
202410.6913 of 10129.8%☆☆☆☆☆
20234.0977 of 10113.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20225.6956 of 10176.0%☆☆☆☆☆
20216.6947 of 10035.6%☆☆☆☆☆
20197.6930 of 10027.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20183.2969 of 9972.8%☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankWisconsin percentileRating
202612.1775 of 7912.0%☆☆☆☆☆
202512.0779 of 8022.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202422.1662 of 79016.2%★☆☆☆☆
202315.1725 of 7705.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202225.1612 of 74818.2%★☆☆☆☆
202117.6695 of 7466.8%☆☆☆☆☆
201918.0668 of 74210.0%★☆☆☆☆
201820.2628 of 72112.9%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Male (2026)7th percentile+4 vs school
African American (2026)3rd percentile~ school
Special Education (2026)2nd percentile~ school
Female (2026)<1st percentile-3 vs school
By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts10%-43 vs state
Science8%-45 vs state
Mathematics6%-47 vs state
Social Studies4%-62 vs state

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Kilbourn Elementary

Kilbourn Elementary ranks in the bottom 2.6% of Wisconsin elementary schools.

Students at Kilbourn Elementary are 86% African American, 8% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

In the 2024-25 school year, 218 students attended Kilbourn Elementary.

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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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