Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

MacDowell Montessori School K3-12

Public, Alternative Grades PK, KG-12

857^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,044 Wisconsin Alternative Schools

Better than 18% of Wisconsin alternative schools

Summary

MacDowell Montessori School K3-12 is an alternative public school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving 860 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. As part of the Milwaukee School District, which is ranked 415 out of 426 districts in the state, MacDowell Montessori has seen relatively high graduation rates, ranging from 65.6% to 91.0% in recent years, higher than the district average. The school's dropout rates have also been low, between 1.3% and 5.6%, better than the district average.

However, MacDowell Montessori faces challenges with high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 17.7% to 50.4%, significantly higher than the state average. Academically, the school's students generally outperform the Milwaukee School District average on the Forward Exam, with higher proficiency rates in core subjects, but their scores still lag behind the state average. The school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to other nearby schools, MacDowell Montessori performs better than schools like Obama School of Career and Technical Education and Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning, but lags behind higher-performing schools like HAPA-Hmong American Peace Academy, Golda Meir School, and Wauwatosa Virtual Academy. The school's Montessori approach and relatively low student-teacher ratio may contribute to its relatively better performance compared to other traditional public schools in the area.

823

Students ?

16.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,364

Per pupil spending ?

55.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

6415 W Mount Vernon Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53213-4025

(414) 935-1400

District: Milwaukee School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

52.9%

White:

25.6%

Hispanic:

10.8%

See top rated Wisconsin elementary schools

Compare MacDowell Montessori School K3-12 to nearby alternative schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 20th percentile in 2021 → 24th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (35% vs 54% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Wisconsin average (84% vs 92%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg23%

Wisconsin avg54%

Elementary school

857^th of 1,044

Wisconsin public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

478^th of 628

Wisconsin public middle schools ?

Bottom 24%▲ up 19 pts since 2015

From bottom 5% (2015) to bottom 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Alternative 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	22.2	857 of 1044	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.4	853 of 1061	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.0	908 of 1067	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	23.6	875 of 1067	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.1	839 of 1050	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.7	931 of 1037	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	6.6	947 of 1025	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	10.6	958 of 1071	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	7.0	990 of 1075	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	4.5	1024 of 1076	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	45.1	65 of 144	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.8	65 of 137	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	32.4	88 of 138	36.2%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.9	67 of 133	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	37.7	85 of 141	39.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.4	114 of 161	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.1	109 of 165	33.9%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	16.8	865 of 1001	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.9	860 of 1011	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	842 of 1010	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.2	812 of 1017	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.0	759 of 1004	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	9.4	919 of 1002	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	9.7	908 of 997	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	42.4	184 of 331	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	19.8	257 of 290	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	12.9	814 of 870	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	766 of 866	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.2	839 of 871	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	19.5	755 of 847	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.0	836 of 874	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	7.5	841 of 854	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	773 of 1000	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.7	738 of 1012	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	867 of 1011	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.9	832 of 1017	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.2	825 of 1003	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.0	877 of 1002	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	8.4	920 of 997	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	44.7	62 of 113	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	79.5	17 of 119	85.7%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	31.3	575 of 802	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.0	528 of 790	33.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.5	550 of 770	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	37.6	466 of 748	37.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.8	706 of 746	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	14.5	726 of 742	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	27.3	563 of 721	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	437 of 718	39.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.2	442 of 727	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.9	347 of 715	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	68.3	181 of 704	74.3%	★★★★☆
2021	57.7	281 of 699	59.8%	★★★☆☆
2019	34.7	525 of 718	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	16.2	626 of 686	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	29.9	478 of 628	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.0	528 of 641	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.3	584 of 640	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.8	537 of 617	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.8	558 of 613	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.5	554 of 594	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.2	541 of 579	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	3.0	585 of 612	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	6.6	561 of 609	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.8	581 of 612	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	56.0	40 of 117	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.8	53 of 118	55.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	33.2	88 of 130	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	50.2	45 of 125	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	33.1	97 of 134	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	29.4	88 of 127	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	27.9	94 of 123	23.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	446 of 573	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.0	458 of 580	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	522 of 579	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	11.6	521 of 576	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	5.5	551 of 574	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	8.4	515 of 557	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.1	514 of 551	6.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2022	56.9	77 of 221	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	436 of 509	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.6	440 of 520	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.3	491 of 525	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.7	497 of 499	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.1	480 of 487	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	5.1	484 of 489	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	33.5	429 of 577	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.2	483 of 585	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	14.9	521 of 591	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.8	440 of 577	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	13.7	508 of 572	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	10.9	507 of 557	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.5	504 of 551	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	19.0	367 of 414	11.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.6	282 of 425	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	22.6	386 of 439	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.5	289 of 421	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.8	344 of 437	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	16.8	407 of 414	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	16.9	394 of 417	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	69.8	94 of 399	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	66.1	118 of 407	71.0%	★★★★☆
2023	55.6	175 of 412	57.5%	★★★☆☆

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

African American (2025)55th percentile+37 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)45th percentile+27 vs school

Hispanic (2024)44th percentile+25 vs school

White (2025)39th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2025)28th percentile+10 vs school

Male (2025)23rd percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)14th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)6th percentile-11 vs school

Middle school

White (2025)76th percentile+53 vs school

African American (2025)66th percentile+42 vs school

Hispanic (2022)65th percentile+52 vs school

Male (2025)26th percentile~ school

Female (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)14th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2025)11th percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies44%-13 vs state

English Language Arts40%-13 vs state

Science36%-14 vs state

Mathematics23%-30 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate MacDowell Montessori School K3-12 and help other families decide.

Rate MacDowell Montessori School K3-12

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near MacDowell Montessori School K3-12

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				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 ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	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 Social Studies 10th 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
MacDowell Montessori School K3-12	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	6415 W Mount Vernon Ave	Milwaukee	53213	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 935-1400	823	51	16.2	55.7%	211 (25.6%)	435 (52.9%)	89 (10.8%)	15 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	71 (8.6%)								(n/a)	33.9	31.4	38.9	47.8	43.9	44.6	25.0	15.7	16.7	34.8	34.2	17.9	51.0	60.7	21.8	41.2	32.1	$13,364	$2,195	$11,169
Vel R Phillips School	Public, Alternative	K-12	10201 W Watertown Plank Rd	Wauwatosa	53226	Milwaukee County	Wauwatosa School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 257-4857	139	29	4.7		3 (2.2%)	107 (77.0%)	18 (12.9%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (6.5%)								(n/a)															0.0			$43,931	$4,755	$39,175
Deeper Learning Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1117 S 104th St	West Allis	53214	Milwaukee County	West Allis-West Milwaukee School District	Yes	No	Yes	No	(414) 604-4224	88	5	17.6	48.9%	36 (40.9%)	7 (8.0%)	34 (38.6%)	2 (2.3%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (9.1%)								(n/a)					27.3	25.0					18.2	25.0		50.0	14.3		25.0
Milwaukee Academy of Science	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	2000 W Kilbourn Ave	Milwaukee	53233	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee Science Education Consortium Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 933-0302	1,711	97	17.5	91.9%	6 (0.4%)	1,608 (94.0%)	46 (2.7%)	10 (0.6%)	11 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	29 (1.7%)								(n/a)	10.6	8.1	10.4	18.6	19.2	17.6	14.9	8.8	16.3	13.7	20.2	16.7	12.5	27.1	11.5	3.7	17.8	$18,154	$2,954	$15,198
Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	1017 N 12th St	Milwaukee	53233	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 304-6800	286	22	13.0	93.4%	5 (1.7%)	251 (87.8%)	14 (4.9%)	6 (2.1%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.8%)								(n/a)	0.0	0.0	0.0	9.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	9.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	6.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	$15,838	$2,233	$13,605
Wauwatosa Virtual Academy	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	12121 W North Ave	Wauwatosa	53226	Milwaukee County	Wauwatosa School District	Yes	No	Yes	No	(414) 773-1000	91	4	22.7	22.0%	27 (29.7%)	37 (40.7%)	13 (14.3%)	4 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (11.0%)								(n/a)															42.9			$24,543	$291	$24,251
Golda Meir School	Public, Alternative	3-12	1615 N Martin Luther King Dr	Milwaukee	53212	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 758-2500	1,192	63	18.8	47.4%	221 (18.5%)	667 (56.0%)	178 (14.9%)	46 (3.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (6.5%)								(n/a)	50.0	52.9	47.7	67.0	70.9	67.7	60.3	44.1	27.3	67.0	67.5	47.6	72.1	78.2	45.2	44.1	61.3	$12,984	$2,201	$10,783
Central City Cyberschool	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	4301 N 44th St	Milwaukee	53216	Milwaukee County	Central City Cyberschool of Milwaukee Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 444-2330	343	20	17.5	93.6%	0 (0.0%)	336 (98.0%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.6%)								(n/a)	25.9	11.8	26.3	18.9	20.8	18.2	14.8	5.9	10.5	13.5	25.0	31.8	5.9	22.7	5.3	5.9	4.6	$22,742	$11,372	$11,372
HAPA-Hmong American Peace Academy K3-12	Public, Charter, Alternative	PK, KG-12	4601 N 84th St	Milwaukee	53225	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 383-4944	1,974	75	26.3	89.0%	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	41 (2.1%)	1,905 (96.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (1.3%)								(n/a)	45.4	48.5	40.4	51.2	58.5	55.4	63.9	57.6	58.3	52.7	62.3	51.0	52.7	64.2	37.0	35.1	48.0	$14,862	$2,577	$12,284
Obama School of Career and Technical Education	Public, Alternative	PK, KG-12	5075 N Sherman Blvd	Milwaukee	53209	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 393-4900	1,294	43	30.0	84.0%	48 (3.7%)	993 (76.7%)	179 (13.8%)	26 (2.0%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (3.4%)								(n/a)	0.0	14.3	10.5	8.3	16.0	0.0	0.0	6.7	16.7	0.0	13.0	0.0	8.3	10.5	13.0	8.3	0.0	$16,696	$2,648	$14,048

Frequently Asked Questions about MacDowell Montessori School K3-12

How many students attend MacDowell Montessori School K3-12?

In the 2024-25 school year, 823 students attended MacDowell Montessori School K3-12.

What district is MacDowell Montessori School K3-12 in?

Milwaukee School District

Is MacDowell Montessori School K3-12 a good school?

MacDowell Montessori School K3-12 ranks in the bottom 17.9% of Wisconsin alternative schools.

What is the racial makeup of MacDowell Montessori School K3-12?

Students at MacDowell Montessori School K3-12 are 53% African American, 26% White, 11% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

Rate MacDowell Montessori School K3-12!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

WIWisconsin Alternative School Rankings

WIWisconsin District Rankings

Schools in Milwaukee, WI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for MacDowell Montessori School K3-12!

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.