Summary
Riverwest Elementary is a PK–5 school at 2765 N Fratney St in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, enrolling 244 students in the Milwaukee School District, which itself ranks 418th of 432 districts statewide (3rd percentile, 0 stars). The school's own ranking sits near the bottom of Wisconsin elementary schools: 1004th of 1039 in 2025-26 (3rd percentile, 0 stars), with no star ratings on record and results between the 2nd and 5th percentile for a decade. Its 2024-25 profile shows 88.52% free or reduced lunch, $22,740 per-student spending, a 16.2 student-teacher ratio, and 61.5% chronic absenteeism.
On the 2025-26 Forward Exam, proficiency was 10.26–12.12% in English language arts, 5.13–9.09% in math, 18.18% in 4th-grade social studies, and 15.15% in 4th-grade science — far below both district and state averages. Math is the weakest subject, bottoming out at 5.13% in 5th grade. Compared with nearby schools, Riverwest trails Fratney Elementary, Milwaukee College Preparatory School -- Lloyd Street, and Maryland Montessori in most overlapping grades, while generally outperforming Gaenslen Elementary, Hartford Avenue Elementary, and LaFollette Elementary; results against King Junior Elementary and Cass Street Elementary are mixed. Despite spending $22,740 per student — more than Fratney, Maryland Montessori, and several other neighbors — outcomes remain low.
Chronic absenteeism is the sharpest local differentiator. At 61.5% in 2024-25, Riverwest is above the district's 46.2% and more than triple Wisconsin's 17.3%. It has improved from 78.1% in 2021-22 but has plateaued above 60%. Nearby Milwaukee College Preparatory School -- Lloyd Street serves a similarly high-poverty population yet reports 25.6% chronic absenteeism, and Maryland Montessori just 4.9%. Academic results have also risen from a very low base — 2022-23 ELA was 2.5–3.57% and math 0–5.88% — but remain well below benchmarks, and some 2025-26 ELA scores slipped from the prior year. Subgroup rankings are weak: 5th percentile for female students, 2nd for male students, 9th for African American students, and 14th for special education students, which is an improvement over prior years.
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