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James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School

Public Grades 9-12

351^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 431 Wisconsin High Schools

Better than 19% of Wisconsin high schools

Summary

James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School is a public high school located in West Allis, Wisconsin, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 168 students. The school is part of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, which is ranked 395 out of 426 districts in Wisconsin and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School has significantly higher proficiency rates in Social Studies compared to the district and state averages, it faces challenges in other areas. The school has maintained a relatively high 4-year graduation rate, ranging from 82.8% to 91.0% over the past few years, which is on par with the nearby high schools in the district. However, the school has experienced higher chronic absenteeism rates compared to the district and state, ranging from 17.7% to 28.2% in recent years, which is an area of concern that the school should address.

As a project-based learning high school, James E Dottke likely offers a unique educational experience focused on hands-on, collaborative projects rather than traditional lecture-based instruction. This approach may contribute to the school's higher proficiency in Social Studies. When compared to the other high schools in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School generally performs worse on standardized test scores, but maintains a similar graduation rate. This indicates that the school may be serving a more disadvantaged student population, which could require additional resources and support to help them succeed.

168

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,507

Per pupil spending ?

63.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

7815 W Lapham St
West Allis, WI 53214-4502

(414) 604-4210

District: West Allis-West Milwaukee School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

60.7%

Hispanic:

20.2%

Two or more races:

12.5%

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At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2004 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2004

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Wisconsin average (34% vs 46% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!High chronic absenteeism (24% vs 17% Wisconsin)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg31%

Wisconsin avg46%

351^st of 431

Wisconsin public high schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 16 pts since 2015

From bottom 2% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Wisconsin High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 3High Schools in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District

395^th of 426West Allis-West Milwaukee 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	25.8	351 of 431	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	409 of 431	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.5	402 of 415	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	0.1	455 of 466	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.1	440 of 462	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	9.6	252 of 281	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	2.0	278 of 292	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	16.8	255 of 287	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	5.2	256 of 275	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	23.7	302 of 358	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	8.1	340 of 353	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	14.0	303 of 329	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2024	13.4	303 of 326	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	28.2	288 of 380	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.1	339 of 365	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.0	354 of 359	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	26.4	67 of 81	17.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	73.4	15 of 93	83.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Wisconsin percentile	Rating
2025	30.4	218 of 285	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.4	279 of 300	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.5	270 of 271	0.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)84th percentile+65 vs school

Male (2025)24th percentile+6 vs school

White (2025)24th percentile+5 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)17th percentile~ school

Female (2025)16th percentile-3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2024)7th percentile~ school

By subject vs Wisconsin (2024-2025) ?

Social Studies59%+12 vs state

English Language Arts36%-13 vs state

Science22%-21 vs state

Mathematics16%-27 vs state

★

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Schools Near James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School

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
James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School	Public	9-12	7815 W Lapham St	West Allis	53214	Milwaukee County	West Allis-West Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 604-4210	168	14	12.0	63.1%	102 (60.7%)	7 (4.2%)	34 (20.2%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (12.5%)	25.8	351^st of 431 public high schools	18.6%		10.5	409^th of 431 public high schools	5.1%	58	36.1	16.2	22.2	59.5	$22,507	$1,337	$21,168
Central High	Public	9-12	8516 W Lincoln Ave	West Allis	53227	Milwaukee County	West Allis-West Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 604-3110	961	66	14.5	73.0%	299 (31.1%)	144 (15.0%)	402 (41.8%)	23 (2.4%)	12 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (8.4%)	6	414^th of 431 public high schools	3.9%		6.4	415^th of 431 public high schools	3.7%	1	29.0	15.6	15.7	23.6	$13,078	$1,128	$11,949
Nathan Hale High	Public	9-12	11601 W Lincoln Ave	West Allis	53227	Milwaukee County	West Allis-West Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 604-3210	1,134	71	16.0	57.1%	577 (50.9%)	142 (12.5%)	292 (25.7%)	26 (2.3%)	7 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	88 (7.8%)	34.8	316^th of 431 public high schools	26.7%		18.2	388^th of 431 public high schools	10.0%	72	50.2	36.2	39.6	31.2	$11,251	$1,033	$10,218
Hamilton High	Public	9-12	6215 W Warnimont Ave	Milwaukee	53220	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 327-9300	1,472	100	14.7	78.6%	130 (8.8%)	436 (29.6%)	657 (44.6%)	171 (11.6%)	18 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	58 (3.9%)	1.3	426^th of 431 public high schools	1.2%		1.5	428^th of 431 public high schools	0.7%	2	9.5	4.2	5.2	15.0	$15,652	$2,277	$13,375
Escuela Verde	Public, Charter	9-12	3628 W Pierce St	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Trans Center for Youth Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 988-7960	121	10	12.0	80.2%	9 (7.4%)	12 (9.9%)	98 (81.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	4.2	417^th of 431 public high schools	3.2%					(n/a)	12.0		8.0	22.2	$12,526	$2,778	$9,748
East High	Public	9-12	7500 Milwaukee Ave	Wauwatosa	53213	Milwaukee County	Wauwatosa School District	No	No	No	No	(414) 773-2000	1,043	68	15.2	22.7%	669 (64.1%)	174 (16.7%)	87 (8.3%)	33 (3.2%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	75 (7.2%)	86.2	36^th of 431 public high schools	91.6%		84.9	37^th of 431 public high schools	91.4%	1	67.5	61.5	59.4	65.2	$12,456	$399	$12,056
Carmen High School of Science and Technology South Campus	Public, Charter	9-12	1712 S 32nd St	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 384-4444	382	20	19.1	96.1%	11 (2.9%)	7 (1.8%)	363 (95.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7.6	408^th of 431 public high schools	5.3%		14.3	398^th of 431 public high schools	7.7%	10	32.3	12.9	22.6	22.7	$15,172	$2,479	$12,693
Lad Lake Synergy School	Public	6-12	2820 W Grant St	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 647-1771	22	5	4.4	81.8%	0 (0.0%)	14 (63.6%)	8 (36.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					$28,703	$2,464	$26,239
Audubon Technology and Communication High	Public	9-12	3300 S 39th St	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Milwaukee School District	No	No	No	Yes	(414) 902-7800	436	27	16.3	78.2%	66 (15.1%)	70 (16.1%)	261 (59.9%)	22 (5.0%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.2%)								(n/a)				15.9	$14,591	$2,514	$12,076
Veritas High	Public, Charter	9-12	3025 W Oklahoma Ave	Milwaukee	53215	Milwaukee County	Seeds of Health Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(414) 389-5570	256	13	20.0	75.0%	20 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	235 (91.8%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.2	403^rd of 431 public high schools	6.5%		14.6	396^th of 431 public high schools	8.1%	7	35.2	21.1	14.1	25.9

Frequently Asked Questions about James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School

What is the racial makeup of James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School?

Students at James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School are 61% White, 20% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 4% African American, 2% American Indian.

What district is James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School in?

West Allis-West Milwaukee School District

Is James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School a good school?

James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School ranks in the bottom 18.6% of Wisconsin high schools.

How many students attend James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 168 students attended James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High School.

Rate James E Dottke Project-Based Learning High 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.