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Milwaukee High School of the Arts

Public Grades 9-12

418^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 431 Wisconsin High Schools

Better than 3% of Wisconsin high schools

Summary

Milwaukee High School of the Arts is a public high school serving 985 students in grades 9-12 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school is part of the Milwaukee School District, which is ranked 415 out of 426 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Milwaukee High School of the Arts has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Wisconsin high schools over the past decade, with a ranking between 384 and 419 out of around 400 schools. The school has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is one of the lowest-performing schools in the state. Academic achievement is a significant challenge, with only around 10-25% of students scoring proficient or better on standardized tests. The school's four-year graduation rate is around 65-91%, lower than the state average, and its dropout rate is around 1-6%, higher than the state average. Chronic absenteeism is also a major issue, ranging from 17.7% to 52.3% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average.

The struggles at Milwaukee High School of the Arts appear to be part of a broader pattern of underperformance in the local educational landscape. Nearby schools, such as Shalom High, Milwaukee County Youth Education Center, and Groppi High, all have similar low performance metrics and rankings. However, a nearby charter school, Pathways High, shows more promising performance, with higher proficiency rates and a higher statewide ranking compared to Milwaukee High School of the Arts.

959

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,758

Per pupil spending ?

76.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2300 W Highland Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53233-1007

(414) 934-7000

District: Milwaukee School District

Feeder schools for Milwaukee High School of the Arts:

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:

55.4%

Hispanic:

19.7%

Asian:

11.8%

See top rated Wisconsin high schools

Compare Milwaukee High School of the Arts to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 6th percentile in 2015 → 3rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (16% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (3rd percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (54% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school16%

District avg20%

Wisconsin avg46%

418^th of 431

Wisconsin public high schools ?

Bottom 3%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 13High 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	3.5	418 of 431	3.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.2	419 of 431	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	9.1	396 of 415	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.4	384 of 391	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	2.1	389 of 390	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.1	398 of 400	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.6	406 of 410	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.4	409 of 410	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	3.5	403 of 408	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.2	440 of 466	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	8.4	431 of 462	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	11.0	428 of 457	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	12.2	421 of 452	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	25.2	403 of 445	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	14.5	414 of 450	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	17.4	400 of 438	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	17.5	405 of 437	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	27.7	241 of 281	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	23.4	251 of 287	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	29.7	240 of 275	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	21.9	21 of 26	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.2	16 of 26	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.3	12 of 13	7.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.0	17 of 18	5.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	17.3	20 of 20	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	9.0	55 of 57	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.4	51 of 51	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	4.4	347 of 358	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.8	345 of 353	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.0	314 of 329	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.6	337 of 343	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.2	343 of 343	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.5	354 of 355	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	104 of 126	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.4	91 of 119	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.7	52 of 97	46.4%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	8.2	320 of 335	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	311 of 326	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.1	251 of 271	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	19.7	227 of 250	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.7	222 of 226	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.9	249 of 251	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.8	252 of 255	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	2.6	374 of 380	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.5	356 of 365	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	10.6	345 of 359	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	7.6	342 of 347	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	3.2	333 of 334	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.7	353 of 354	0.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2023	24.8	50 of 55	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	70.5	69 of 285	75.8%	★★★★☆
2024	23.5	249 of 300	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	62.0	85 of 271	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	25.5	211 of 266	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

White (2025)76th percentile+73 vs school

African American (2025)19th percentile+16 vs school

Hispanic (2025)17th percentile+14 vs school

Special Education (2023)9th percentile+5 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)4th percentile~ school

Asian (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2025)3rd percentile~ school

Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts24%-24 vs state

Social Studies21%-27 vs state

Science11%-33 vs state

Mathematics9%-34 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, June 22, 2011

It an ARTS school the only ARTS high school in ALL of WISCONSIN Close Quote

Schools Near Milwaukee High School of the Arts

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 Social Studies (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 Social Studies 10th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Milwaukee High School of the Arts	Public	9-12	2300 W Highland Ave	Milwaukee	53233	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 934-7000	959	63	15.2	76.2%	78 (8.1%)	531 (55.4%)	189 (19.7%)	113 (11.8%)	5 (0.5%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (4.4%)	3.5	418^th of 431 public high schools	3.0%		4.2	419^th of 431 public high schools	2.8%	1	24.4	9.0	10.7	21.1	$13,758	$1,870	$11,888
Groppi High	Public	9-12	1312 N 27th St	Milwaukee	53208	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 934-8200	105	9	11.6	89.5%	4 (3.8%)	90 (85.7%)	5 (4.8%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.8%)								(n/a)					$22,307	$2,516	$19,791
Pathways High	Public, Charter	9-12	3022 W Wisconsin Ave	Milwaukee	53208	Milwaukee County	Pathways High Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 943-2891	149	10	15.6	30.2%	39 (26.2%)	71 (47.7%)	16 (10.7%)	1 (0.7%)	5 (3.4%)	1 (0.7%)	16 (10.7%)	6.3	412^th of 431 public high schools	4.4%		25.2	358^th of 431 public high schools	16.9%	54			24.1	14.8	$23,340	$5,080	$18,260
Shalom High	Public	9-12	1749 N 16th St	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 933-5019	101	6	16.8	88.1%	3 (3.0%)	95 (94.1%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.0%)								(n/a)				0.0	$14,176	$1,678	$12,498
DOC: Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility	Public	12	1015 N 10th St	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Wisconsin Department of Corrections	No	No	No	No	(414) 212-3535	4	2	2.0		0 (0.0%)	4 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Milwaukee County Youth Education Center	Public	6-12	949 N 9th St	Milwaukee	53233	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 226-7330	0	2	.0		0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)					$93,333	$5,588	$87,746
Project STAY-Supporting Teachers and Youth	Public	9-12	609 N 8th St	Milwaukee	53233	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 298-9300	114	9	12.0	86.8%	1 (0.9%)	97 (85.1%)	13 (11.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (2.6%)								(n/a)				0.0	$18,226	$2,380	$15,846
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
Alliance School of Milwaukee	Public, Charter	9-12	850 W Walnut St	Milwaukee	53205	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 267-5400	141	11	13.2	84.4%	11 (7.8%)	103 (73.0%)	16 (11.3%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (7.1%)								(n/a)				17.4	$18,180	$3,242	$14,938
Tenor High	Public, Charter	9-12	918 Vel R Phillips Ave	Milwaukee	53203	Milwaukee County	Seeds of Health Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 431-4371	651	27	24.0	66.2%	52 (8.0%)	191 (29.3%)	391 (60.1%)	5 (0.8%)	6 (0.9%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	5.9	415^th of 431 public high schools	3.7%		3.2	424^th of 431 public high schools	1.6%	9	27.9	11.0	11.0	26.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Milwaukee High School of the Arts

Is Milwaukee High School of the Arts a good school?

Milwaukee High School of the Arts ranks in the bottom 3.0% of Wisconsin high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Milwaukee High School of the Arts?

Students at Milwaukee High School of the Arts are 55% African American, 20% Hispanic, 12% Asian, 8% White, 4% Two or more races.

How many students attend Milwaukee High School of the Arts?

In the 2024-25 school year, 959 students attended Milwaukee High School of the Arts.

What district is Milwaukee High School of the Arts in?

Milwaukee School District

What schools feed into Milwaukee High School of the Arts?

Rate Milwaukee High School of the Arts!

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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.