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Milwaukee High School of the Arts

Public Grades 9-12

483^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 533 Wisconsin High Schools

Better than 9% of Wisconsin high schools

Summary

Milwaukee High School of the Arts is a 9–12 public high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, enrolling 959 students as part of the Milwaukee School District — far larger than the nearby alternative and charter high schools, most of which serve fewer than 150 students. For 2025–2026 it ranks 483rd of 533 Wisconsin high schools (9th percentile, 0 stars), a slight relative improvement from the 3rd percentile in 2024–2025. The district itself ranks 418th of 432 statewide.

The school's clearest strength is getting students to the finish line. Its 2024–2025 graduation rate of 90.8% nearly matches the state's 92.0% and far exceeds the district's 71.5%, and its 1.0% dropout rate is close to the state's 1.1%. That graduation rate is the highest among nearby schools: Tenor High 82.1%, Escuela Verde 73.0%, Shalom High 65.9%, Transition High 65.2%, Project STAY-Supporting Teachers and Youth 57.5%, Alliance School of Milwaukee 50.0%, Groppi High 49.2%, and Pathways High 37.5%. Test scores tell a different story: 10th-grade proficiency was 25.27% in social studies (slightly above the district), 22.46% in English language arts, but just 6.42% in math and 9.09% in science — both far below district and state levels.

Chronic absenteeism is 54.3%, above the district's 46.2% and more than triple the state's 17.3%, though much better than same-district alternatives such as Shalom High (87.1%) and Transition High (99.0%). Results also vary widely by group: English language learner students rank at the 79th percentile with 4 stars, while low-income students rank at the 8th percentile. About 76.23% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch, and per-student spending was $18,977.

959

Students ?

15.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,977

Per pupil spending ?

76.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

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: Improving — 1st percentile in 2016 → 9th in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2016

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Milwaukee School District

Worth a look

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

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school16%

District avg21%

Wisconsin avg46%

483^rd of 533

Wisconsin public high schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 8 pts since 2016

From bottom 1% (2016) to bottom 9% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 26High Schools in the Milwaukee School District

418^th of 432Milwaukee 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
2026	8.5	483 of 533	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	29.8	56 of 84	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	16.6	61 of 71	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	9.0	55 of 57	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.4	51 of 51	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	57.9	24 of 115	79.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	7.5	424 of 461	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	40.9	101 of 187	46.0%	★★☆☆☆
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
2026	13.4	409 of 446	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	9.2	420 of 462	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
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
2026	31.9	223 of 333	33.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	24.8	50 of 55	9.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2026	36.4	239 of 344	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
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)

English Language Learner (2026)79th percentile+70 vs school

Hispanic (2026)46th percentile+37 vs school

African American (2026)33rd percentile+24 vs school

Special Education (2026)33rd percentile+24 vs school

White (2026)31st percentile+21 vs school

Asian (2026)14th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2026)9th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)8th percentile~ school

Female (2026)8th percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2025-2026) ?

Social Studies25%-23 vs state

English Language Arts22%-26 vs state

Science9%-34 vs state

Mathematics6%-37 vs state

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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

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (2026)	Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
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/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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%)	8.5	483^rd of 533 public high schools	9.4%		3.5	418^th of 431 public high schools	3.0%	65	22.5	6.4	9.1	25.3	$18,977	$2,572	$16,405
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)					$30,719	$2,701	$28,018
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%)	13.2	468^th of 533 public high schools	12.2%		6.3	412^th of 431 public high schools	4.4%	56	26.3	21.1	15.8	21.1
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%)	1.4	532^nd of 533 public high schools	0.2%					(n/a)	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	$19,509	$2,689	$16,820
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)					$18,259	$2,234	$16,025
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%)	6.1	495^th of 533 public high schools	7.1%					(n/a)	0.0	16.7	0.0	20.0	$28,292	$2,438	$25,854
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)					$30,156	$2,891	$27,265
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%)	5.4	498^th of 533 public high schools	6.6%					(n/a)	13.3	0.0	7.7	22.2	$23,531	$2,641	$20,890
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%)	8.9	480^th of 533 public high schools	9.9%		5.9	415^th of 431 public high schools	3.7%	65	16.7	13.2	11.8	26.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Milwaukee High School of the Arts

What schools feed into 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 9.4% 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

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Latest Wisconsin data All new data »

2018–19 through 2025–26 immunization rates (updated)NewOct 20, 2026

2016–17 through 2017–18 immunization rates (updated)Oct 19, 2026

2025–26 ACT & Forward Exam scoresOct 1, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 school spending dataJul 16, 2026

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.