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Highland Community School

Q: Is Highland Community School a good school?

Highland Community School ranks 598 th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public, Charter Grades PK, KG-8

598^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of Wisconsin elementary schools

Summary

Highland Community School is a public charter elementary school serving 414 students in grades PK-8 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is part of the Milwaukee School District. This school consistently outperforms the district and the state of Wisconsin in academic proficiency across various subjects and grade levels, with particularly strong performance for African American and White students.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Highland Community School had 80.77% of 8th graders proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 28.76% for the Milwaukee School District and 53.97% for the state. In mathematics, 57.69% of 8th graders at Highland Community School were proficient or better, compared to 18.61% for the district and 53.06% for the state. The school's performance is also stronger than nearby schools like Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language, Elm Creative Arts Elementary, and Starms Discovery.

Despite serving a student population with a relatively high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, Highland Community School is able to achieve strong academic outcomes. The school spends between $13,385 and $14,667 per student, which is higher than the spending levels of some nearby schools in the Milwaukee School District. This suggests that the school may have access to more resources and funding, which could contribute to its academic success. The school's practices and strategies could provide valuable insights for other schools in the district and beyond, as they work to improve educational outcomes in similar high-need communities.

387

Students ?

13.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,667

Per pupil spending ?

40.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1706 W Highland Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53233-1198

(414) 342-1412

District: Milwaukee School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

38.8%

African American:

36.7%

Hispanic:

12.1%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare Highland Community School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 19th percentile in 2015 → 43rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2015

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Milwaukee School District

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school57%

District avg23%

Wisconsin avg54%

Elementary school

598^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 24 pts since 2015

From bottom 19% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

161^st of 628

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Top 26%▲ up 47 pts since 2015

From bottom 27% (2015) to top 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^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	48.9	598 of 1044	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	52.5	601 of 1061	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.4	645 of 1067	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.3	735 of 1067	31.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	43.1	671 of 1050	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.7	820 of 1037	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	23.1	849 of 1025	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.9	885 of 1071	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.3	892 of 1075	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	29.3	872 of 1076	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	36.9	810 of 1061	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	13.9	949 of 1053	9.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	43.7	767 of 1045	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	56.1	562 of 1046	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2010	52.8	628 of 1045	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2009	50.2	633 of 1030	38.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	73.2	20 of 144	86.1%	★★★★☆
2024	66.5	29 of 137	78.8%	★★★★☆
2023	56.7	39 of 138	71.7%	★★★★☆
2022	52.5	43 of 133	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2021	43.9	63 of 141	55.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.1	62 of 161	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	56.1	43 of 165	73.9%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	60.0	427 of 1001	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.3	448 of 1011	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	34.4	738 of 1010	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.0	759 of 1017	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	38.5	675 of 1004	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	30.8	762 of 1002	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	32.9	754 of 997	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	26.4	701 of 870	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	47.9	477 of 866	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.7	678 of 871	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	32.5	640 of 859	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	26.7	683 of 847	19.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.5	798 of 874	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	13.6	809 of 854	5.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	34.6	732 of 1000	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.3	649 of 1012	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	61.8	404 of 1011	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	49.5	566 of 1017	44.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	50.8	555 of 1003	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	27.3	805 of 1002	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	19.7	856 of 997	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	58.4	283 of 802	64.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.8	197 of 790	75.1%	★★★★☆
2023	69.8	162 of 770	79.0%	★★★★☆
2022	68.4	155 of 748	79.3%	★★★★☆
2021	64.7	182 of 746	75.6%	★★★★☆
2019	33.9	500 of 742	32.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	30.9	526 of 721	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	81.2	88 of 718	87.7%	★★★★☆
2024	80.9	91 of 727	87.5%	★★★★☆
2023	72.3	158 of 715	77.9%	★★★★☆
2022	67.9	188 of 704	73.3%	★★★★☆
2021	65.8	208 of 699	70.2%	★★★★☆
2019	52.4	351 of 718	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	46.7	391 of 686	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	71.5	161 of 628	74.4%	★★★★☆
2024	60.0	266 of 641	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.7	246 of 640	61.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	42.9	380 of 617	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.7	430 of 613	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.1	386 of 594	35.0%	★★☆☆☆
2018	40.1	391 of 579	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	34.7	434 of 612	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	41.5	400 of 609	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.0	447 of 612	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	31.5	479 of 585	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	75.3	21 of 117	82.1%	★★★★☆
2024	53.6	44 of 118	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.4	59 of 130	54.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.3	38 of 125	69.6%	★★★★☆
2021	53.2	44 of 134	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2019	63.7	28 of 127	78.0%	★★★★☆
2018	45.0	58 of 123	52.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	63.4	215 of 573	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.9	330 of 580	43.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	54.9	255 of 579	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	41.4	372 of 576	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.9	392 of 574	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	50.8	303 of 557	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	50.7	290 of 551	47.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	68.7	115 of 509	77.4%	★★★★☆
2024	58.0	197 of 520	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.0	309 of 525	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.9	326 of 522	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	22.3	437 of 499	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	41.4	306 of 487	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.9	283 of 489	42.1%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	78.7	85 of 577	85.3%	★★★★☆
2024	70.4	157 of 585	73.2%	★★★★☆
2023	61.1	208 of 591	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	46.0	326 of 577	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.2	399 of 572	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.2	406 of 557	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	29.8	436 of 551	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2022	45.6	66 of 126	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	91.4	9 of 414	97.8%	★★★★★
2024	83.6	31 of 425	92.7%	★★★★★
2023	56.9	135 of 439	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	38.7	254 of 421	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	39.0	277 of 437	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	88.7	20 of 399	95.0%	★★★★★
2024	81.4	45 of 407	88.9%	★★★★☆
2023	79.3	61 of 412	85.2%	★★★★☆
2022	66.1	102 of 397	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	68.7	91 of 393	76.8%	★★★★☆
2018	63.3	108 of 375	71.2%	★★★★☆

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

White (2025)88th percentile+45 vs school

African American (2025)86th percentile+43 vs school

Special Education (2025)65th percentile+22 vs school

Female (2025)57th percentile+15 vs school

Male (2025)27th percentile-16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)19th percentile-23 vs school

Middle school

Special Education (2025)98th percentile+23 vs school

White (2025)95th percentile+21 vs school

Male (2025)85th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2025)82nd percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)77th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)62nd percentile-12 vs school

Multi-racial (2022)48th percentile+9 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies72%+9 vs state

English Language Arts64%+11 vs state

Science56%+6 vs state

Mathematics46%-7 vs state

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Schools Near Highland Community School

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
Highland Community School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1706 W Highland Ave	Milwaukee	53233	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 342-1412	387	29	13.3	40.6%	150 (38.8%)	142 (36.7%)	47 (12.1%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	42 (10.9%)	48.9	598^th of 1044 public elementary schools	42.7%		52.5	601^st of 1061 public elementary schools	43.4%	3	50.0	47.4	56.7	72.2	79.5	80.8	42.1	44.7	40.0	44.4	51.3	57.7	63.2	84.6	52.6	61.5	$14,667	$1,960	$12,707
Siefert Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1547 N 14th St	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 935-1500	174	12	14.7	92.5%	2 (1.1%)	156 (89.7%)	6 (3.4%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	7 (4.0%)	3	1007^th of 1044 public elementary schools	3.5%		1.3	1054^th of 1061 public elementary schools	0.7%	47	14.3	5.0	10.0				14.3	0.0	5.0				25.0		10.0		$16,704	$3,661	$13,043
Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language	Public	PK, KG-8	2430 W Wisconsin Ave	Milwaukee	53233	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 934-4340	499	32	15.6	91.0%	12 (2.4%)	340 (68.1%)	32 (6.4%)	95 (19.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (3.8%)	3.7	995^th of 1044 public elementary schools	4.7%		4	1003^rd of 1061 public elementary schools	5.5%	8	10.3	2.9	12.2	18.2	21.3	12.3	15.0	13.5	17.7	2.1	15.1	1.7	5.3	7.0	5.4	1.7	$16,200	$2,628	$13,572
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
Brown Street Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	2029 N 20th St	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 935-3100	245	18	13.7	95.9%	0 (0.0%)	220 (89.8%)	18 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.4%)	2.1	1026^th of 1044 public elementary schools	1.7%		1.5	1050^th of 1061 public elementary schools	1.0%	24	10.5	3.3	0.0				13.2	0.0	0.0				13.8		10.3		$20,303	$3,722	$16,580
Woodlands School - State Street Campus	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	3121 W State St	Milwaukee	53208	Milwaukee County	Woodlands School Inc	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(414) 937-2000	175	12	14.8	9.1%	6 (3.4%)	119 (68.0%)	20 (11.4%)	6 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (13.7%)	3.4	999^th of 1044 public elementary schools	4.3%		4.7	992^nd of 1061 public elementary schools	6.5%	7	12.5	17.7	14.3	10.0	18.8	16.7	20.8	5.9	0.0	5.0	12.5	16.7	11.8	38.9	5.9	27.8
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
Starms Discovery	Public	1-8	2035 N 25th St	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 934-4900	268	15	17.7	97.8%	4 (1.5%)	242 (90.3%)	9 (3.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (4.1%)	1.9	1029^th of 1044 public elementary schools	1.4%		2.1	1039^th of 1061 public elementary schools	2.1%	10	0.0	4.6	7.1	7.1	10.5	13.6	0.0	9.1	10.7	3.6	0.0	0.0	4.6	18.2	4.6	9.1	$16,041	$3,152	$12,889
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
Starms Early Childhood	Public	PK-K	2616 W Garfield Ave	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 934-4700	205	12	17.6	91.2%	0 (0.0%)	187 (91.2%)	8 (3.9%)	2 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.9%)								(n/a)																	$14,711	$2,900	$11,811

Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Community School

What is the racial makeup of Highland Community School?

Students at Highland Community School are 39% White, 37% African American, 12% Hispanic, 11% Two or more races.

How many students attend Highland Community School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 387 students attended Highland Community School.

What district is Highland Community School in?

Milwaukee School District

Is Highland Community School a good school?

Highland Community School ranks 598^th of 1044 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Highland Community School!

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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.