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Milwaukee School of Languages

Public Grades 6-12

Summary

Milwaukee School of Languages is a public high school serving grades 6-12 in the Milwaukee School District, with an enrollment of 951 students. While the school has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Wisconsin high schools over the past decade, it stands out in a few key areas compared to other schools in the district.

Milwaukee School of Languages has higher test scores on the Forward Exam, especially in English Language Arts and Social Studies, with 42.96% proficiency in 7th grade ELA compared to 28.44% for the district, and 37.11% proficiency in 10th grade Social Studies versus 21.73% for the district. The school also has a higher 4-year graduation rate around 90% in recent years, and a lower chronic absenteeism rate of 17-50% compared to some nearby schools like Carmen Mid/High Northwest Campus which had 47.5% in 2023-2024.

However, Milwaukee School of Languages has seen its statewide ranking steadily decline over the past decade, and faces significant socioeconomic challenges with over 50% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch. While the school performs better than the Milwaukee district average, it still lags behind higher-achieving suburban schools like Brookfield East High and Wauwatosa East/West High. Addressing the school's high chronic absenteeism rates will be critical for improving its overall outcomes.

964

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,290

Per pupil spending ?

53.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

8400 W Burleigh St
Milwaukee, WI 53222-3717

(414) 393-5700

District: Milwaukee School District

Feeder schools for Milwaukee School of Languages:

Elementary:	Academy of Accelerated Learning
	Alcott Elementary
	Allen-Field Elementary
	Auer Avenue Elementary
	More...
	Barbee Elementary
	Barton Elementary
	Bay View Montessori School
	Bethune Academy
	Brown Street Academy
	Browning Elementary
	Bruce Elementary
	Bryant Elementary
	Burbank Elementary
	Burdick Elementary
	Carson Academy
	Carver Academy
	Cass Street Elementary
	Clarke Street Elementary
	Clemens Elementary
	Clement Avenue Elementary
	Congress Elementary
	Cooper Elementary
	Craig Montessori School
	Curtin Elementary
	Doerfler Elementary
	Eighty-First Street Elementary
	Elm Creative Arts Elementary
	Emerson Elementary
	Engleburg Elementary
	Fairview Elementary
	Fernwood Montessori
	Fifty-Third Street Elementary
	Forest Home Elementary
	Franklin Elementary
	Fratney Elementary
	Gaenslen Elementary
	Garland Elementary
	Goodrich Elementary
	Grantosa Drive Elementary
	Greenfield Bilingual
	Hampton Elementary
	Hartford Avenue Elementary
	Hawthorne Elementary
	Hayes Bilingual School
	High-Mount Elementary
	Holmes Elementary
	Honey Creek Elementary
	Hopkins Lloyd Community School
	Humboldt Park Elementary
	Jackson Elementary
	Kagel Elementary
	Keefe Avenue Elementary
	Kilbourn Elementary
	King Junior Elementary
	Kluge Elementary
	LaFollette Elementary
	Lancaster Elementary
	Lincoln Avenue Elementary
	Longfellow Elementary
	Lowell International Elementary
	Manitoba Elementary
	Maple Tree Elementary
	Maryland Montessori
	Metcalfe Elementary
	Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language
	Milwaukee French Immersion
	Milwaukee German Immersion
	Milwaukee Parkside School
	Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary
	Milwaukee Spanish Immersion
	Mitchell Elementary
	Morgandale Elementary
	Neeskara Elementary
	Ninety-Fifth Street Elementary
	Parkview Elementary
	Pratt Elementary
	Riley Dual Language Montessori School
	River Trail School of Agricultural Science
	Riverwest Elementary
	Rogers Street Academy
	Sherman Elementary
	Siefert Elementary
	Starms Discovery
	Starms Early Childhood
	Story Elementary
	Stuart Elementary
	Thoreau Elementary
	Thurston Woods Elementary
	Townsend Street Elementary
	Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies
	U S Grant School
	Victory Elementary
	Vieau Elementary
	Westside Academy
	Whitman Elementary
	Whittier Elementary
	Zablocki Elementary
Middle:	Audubon Technology and Communication Middle
	King International Baccalaureate Middle
	Lincoln Middle
	Morse Mid
	More...
	Roosevelt Middle
	Wedgewood Park School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

46.9%

Hispanic:

24.5%

White:

19.3%

See top rated Wisconsin public schools

Compare Milwaukee School of Languages to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 15th percentile in 2007 → 28th in 2015

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 13 percentile points since 2007

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (27% vs 54% meeting standards)

!High chronic absenteeism (38% vs 17% Wisconsin)

!Mathematics scores 34 pts below the Wisconsin average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school27%

District avg24%

Wisconsin avg54%

552^nd of 628

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 12%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 12% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	13.2	552 of 628	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.3	545 of 641	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	15.6	560 of 640	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	508 of 617	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.2	526 of 613	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	481 of 594	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	485 of 579	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.7	506 of 612	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	25.9	495 of 609	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	29.3	493 of 612	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.9	455 of 585	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	37.7	436 of 569	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	50.3	385 of 559	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2011	51.5	360 of 549	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	49.5	357 of 539	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.3	388 of 521	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	36.2	421 of 519	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	31.5	296 of 366	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	18.2	331 of 382	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	12.1	297 of 324	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	49.8	48 of 117	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.6	55 of 118	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.5	45 of 130	65.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.4	34 of 125	72.8%	★★★★☆
2021	53.5	43 of 134	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	53.5	49 of 127	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	53.7	44 of 123	64.2%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2019	13.2	86 of 91	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	26.5	68 of 90	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	23.6	166 of 178	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.9	132 of 173	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.4	159 of 170	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	27.8	134 of 158	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	40.9	81 of 138	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	21.9	147 of 153	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	39.6	78 of 140	44.3%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	15.5	496 of 573	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.3	464 of 580	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.0	481 of 579	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.4	488 of 576	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	15.5	499 of 574	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	26.1	453 of 557	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	25.4	457 of 551	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	13.5	223 of 237	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.9	201 of 239	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	224 of 229	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	35.6	140 of 221	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.5	158 of 225	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	23.0	179 of 209	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.0	159 of 204	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	10.1	481 of 509	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	466 of 520	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.7	484 of 525	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.8	473 of 522	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.5	454 of 499	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	13.6	455 of 487	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	17.6	443 of 489	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	509 of 577	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.7	512 of 585	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	527 of 591	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	454 of 577	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	27.2	446 of 572	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.6	449 of 557	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.3	465 of 551	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	26.0	104 of 126	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.2	128 of 129	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	53.4	46 of 101	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	15.2	86 of 96	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	18.1	371 of 414	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.9	391 of 425	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	18.5	416 of 439	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	36.6	271 of 421	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	30.8	325 of 437	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.1	315 of 414	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.7	357 of 417	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	35.5	285 of 399	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.5	238 of 407	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.1	304 of 412	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.1	305 of 397	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.9	278 of 393	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	66.6	100 of 382	73.8%	★★★★☆
2018	58.8	140 of 375	62.7%	★★★☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2015	46.0	334 of 466	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.5	368 of 462	20.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	28.0	401 of 457	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	41.8	352 of 452	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	35.8	379 of 445	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	25.1	406 of 450	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	13.3	404 of 438	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	18.4	404 of 437	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	30.3	239 of 281	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Middle school

African American (2025)59th percentile+47 vs school

White (2025)29th percentile+16 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)17th percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)13th percentile~ school

Male (2025)12th percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)10th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)7th percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile-6 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2019)5th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies37%-18 vs state

English Language Arts33%-21 vs state

Mathematics20%-34 vs state

Science18%-32 vs state

3.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, January 22, 2020

There are many student behavior issues at this school, which are not addressed by administration, making it a challenging environment in which to learn and thrive. Close Quote

by a student
Thursday, March 15, 2018

It is a good school the staff are more than willing to help me do what I need to succeed. Close Quote

Schools Near Milwaukee School of Languages

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ACT English Language Arts (2025)	ACT Mathematics (2025)	ACT Science (2025)	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	ACT English Language Arts 10th Grade	ACT Mathematics 10th Grade	ACT Science 10th 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 6th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 7th Grade	Forward Exam Mathematics 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 8th Grade	Forward Exam Social Studies 10th Grade	Forward Exam Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Milwaukee School of Languages	Public	6-12	8400 W Burleigh St	Milwaukee	53222	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-5700	964	60	16.1	53.9%	186 (19.3%)	452 (46.9%)	236 (24.5%)	28 (2.9%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	58 (6.0%)								(n/a)				24.8	43.0	32.6	19.2	26.1	13.3	36.8	37.1	18.1	$14,290	$2,148	$12,141
East High	Public	9-12	7500 Milwaukee Ave	Wauwatosa	53213	Milwaukee County	Wauwatosa School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 773-2000	1,043	68	15.2	22.7%	669 (64.1%)	174 (16.7%)	87 (8.3%)	33 (3.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	75 (7.2%)	86.2	36^th of 431 public high schools	91.6%		84.9	37^th of 431 public high schools	91.4%	1	67.5	61.5	59.4								65.2		$12,456	$399	$12,056
Marshall High	Public	9-12	4141 N 64th St	Milwaukee	53216	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-2300	639	45	14.2	81.7%	7 (1.1%)	587 (91.9%)	16 (2.5%)	9 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (2.7%)	0.6	431^st of 431 public high schools	0.0%					(n/a)			3.0								4.1		$14,311	$1,913	$12,398
West High	Public	9-12	11400 W Center St	Wauwatosa	53222	Milwaukee County	Wauwatosa School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 773-3000	986	66	14.9	29.5%	487 (49.4%)	265 (26.9%)	99 (10.0%)	47 (4.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	86 (8.7%)	55.9	190^th of 431 public high schools	55.9%		65.3	126^th of 431 public high schools	70.8%	64	51.0	50.6	45.8								46.4		$12,883	$392	$12,489
WHS Information Technology	Public	9-12	2525 N Sherman Blvd	Milwaukee	53210	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 875-5900	402	25	16.2	85.3%	7 (1.7%)	357 (88.8%)	17 (4.2%)	4 (1.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.0%)								(n/a)											6.3		$18,236	$3,436	$14,799
Carmen Mid/High Northwest Campus	Public, Charter	6-12	5496 N 72nd St	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 837-4000	526	15	35.0	98.5%	14 (2.7%)	458 (87.1%)	29 (5.5%)	8 (1.5%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (2.3%)	2.1	424^th of 431 public high schools	1.6%					(n/a)	7.6		10.8	8.0	14.0	26.5	4.0	8.0	14.5	39.8	15.6	22.9	$14,738	$2,519	$12,219
Transition High	Public	9-12	1940 N 36th St	Milwaukee	53208	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 212-2670	90	9	9.7	86.7%	3 (3.3%)	77 (85.6%)	6 (6.7%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.3%)								(n/a)													$22,355	$3,409	$18,946
DOC: Felmers O. Chaney Correctional Cent er	Public	7-12	2825 N 30th St	Milwaukee	53210	Milwaukee County	Wisconsin Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(414) 874-1600	0	0			0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Brookfield East High	Public	9-12	3305 N Lilly Rd	Brookfield	53005	Waukesha County	Elmbrook School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 781-3500	1,374	77	17.8	7.1%	1,024 (74.5%)	33 (2.4%)	91 (6.6%)	162 (11.8%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (4.6%)	94.8	13^th of 431 public high schools	97.0%		91.1	22^nd of 431 public high schools	94.9%	9	69.9	72.5	72.3								75.6		$12,700	$464	$12,236
James Madison Academic Campus	Public	9-12	8135 W Florist Ave	Milwaukee	53218	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-6100	468	32	14.6	85.7%	6 (1.3%)	406 (86.8%)	22 (4.7%)	22 (4.7%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.7%)								(n/a)											0.0		$15,636	$2,629	$13,006

Frequently Asked Questions about Milwaukee School of Languages

What schools feed into Milwaukee School of Languages?

How many students attend Milwaukee School of Languages?

In the 2024-25 school year, 964 students attended Milwaukee School of Languages.

What is the racial makeup of Milwaukee School of Languages?

Students at Milwaukee School of Languages are 47% African American, 24% Hispanic, 19% White, 6% Two or more races, 3% Asian.

What district is Milwaukee School of Languages in?

Milwaukee School District

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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.