Summary
Jefferson Elementary is a PK–5 neighborhood school at 6927 Maple Terrace in the Wauwatosa School District, serving 222 students and sitting in the middle of the district's six elementary schools, with Wilson Elementary and Wauwatosa STEM both 0.71 miles away, Lincoln Elementary 0.9 miles away, Washington Elementary 1.13 miles away, and Roosevelt Elementary 1.59 miles away.
Jefferson has slid from 31st of 1,071 schools (97th percentile, 5 stars) in 2016–17 to 51st percentile in 2024–25, then rebounded to 59th percentile (rank 429 of 1,039, 3 stars) in 2025–26. It is currently the lowest-ranked Wauwatosa elementary, though within 8 percentile points of Wilson, while Wauwatosa STEM ranks 91st percentile, Lincoln 95th, Roosevelt 87th, and Washington 74th. Jefferson serves the cluster's highest-poverty population (29.3% free/reduced lunch) and has the highest per-pupil spending ($18,861) with a 10.6:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Its 5.6% chronic absenteeism rate is well below the district's 12.6% and the state's 17.3%, and it beats Roosevelt and Wilson.
Academically, 4th grade is a clear strength: 63.0% proficiency in ELA and math, 66.7% in science, and 77.8% in social studies, beating the district in math, science, and social studies and the state in all. The visible weak points are 3rd-grade ELA at 41.9% (about 19 points below the district) and 5th-grade math at 48.5% (about 10 points below the district and the lowest of any Wauwatosa elementary by roughly 21 points). The most important concern is the school-effectiveness ranking for low-income students, which fell from the 62nd percentile in 2023–24 to the 10th in 2024–25 and 27th in 2025–26—far below Jefferson's overall standing. With roughly 30 students per grade, year-to-year swings are noisy, but two straight weak 3rd-grade ELA years would be more meaningful. Nearby Milwaukee schools like Burbank Elementary (11.4% 3rd ELA) and Neeskara Elementary (2.6%) show the sharp context gap; Jefferson's attendance remains a bright spot. Overall, Jefferson is a mid-performing, high-need, well-resourced school with real strengths and clear concerns, especially for its low-income students.
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