Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies

Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies is a PK–8 school of 228 students in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood, part of the Milwaukee School District — a district ranked 418th of 432 in Wisconsin, in the 3rd percentile. Trowbridge itself ranks 759th of 1,039 schools statewide (27th percentile) for 2025-26, but that figure represents three consecutive years of improvement: 15th percentile in 2023-24, 18th in 2024-25, and 27th now, after a decade hovering in the 11th–15th percentile range. For a school where about 83% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, that upward movement is notable.

Results differ sharply by grade. In 2025-26, Trowbridge's early grades are at or above the state average — 3rd grade math (56.52%), 4th grade science (56.25%), and 4th grade social studies (68.75%) all beat Wisconsin — while grades 5–8 fall well behind, with 7th grade math at 21.43% and 8th grade math at 24.14% against state rates near 54–56%. Gains are real where they have occurred: 8th grade ELA rose from 9.52% to 37.93% in one year, 8th grade math from 5% to 24.14%, and chronic absenteeism has fallen from 58.7% to 35.2% in three years — still about double the state rate but 11 points below the district.

Among nearby schools, Trowbridge is the strongest of the high-poverty group: Fernwood Montessori (68th percentile) and Bay View Montessori (41st) serve far more affluent populations, while Humboldt Park Elementary, Clement Avenue Elementary, Milwaukee Parkside School, La Causa Charter School, and Zablocki Elementary all enroll similarly high-poverty students and rank between the 5th and 18th percentiles — all below Trowbridge's 27th. Trowbridge spends $23,219 per student, more than Fernwood Montessori and roughly $5,000 more than Humboldt Park Elementary, so its high spending appears to reflect student need rather than be the cause of better results. The clearest concern is special education: that subgroup ranks in the 5th percentile (0 stars) and has fallen from the 11th percentile two years ago, even as the school overall improves.