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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 53186

At a glance

Schools

4,852

Students

Districts

5-star schools

Top rankedWaukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy4^th of 533 Wisconsin high schools

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Biggest riser

Hadfield Elementary up 35 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Hadfield Elementary 9 students per teacher

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Newly ranked this year

Waukesha East Alternative School

SchoolDigger ratings

5★

4★

3★

1★

0★

2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

See the top-ranked Wisconsin schools →

Summary:

ZIP code 53186 in Waukesha, Wisconsin is home to 14 schools — 7 elementary, 2 middle, and 5 high — enrolling about 4,847 students in total. One of them, Waukesha East Alternative School, serves grades 6–12 but is classified within the high school group. Thirteen of the 14 schools belong to Waukesha School District, ranked 184 of 432 districts (57th percentile), while La Casa de Esperanza Charter School belongs to La Casa De Esperanza Inc, ranked 423 of 432.

The strongest options are easy to spot. Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy ranks 4th of 533 high schools (99th percentile, 5 stars), with 100% graduation, 0.0% dropout, 0.0% chronic absenteeism, and math proficiency of 89.19%. Hillcrest Elementary is the top elementary, at 72nd of 1,039 (93rd percentile, 5 stars), followed by White Rock School at 275th of 1,039 (74th percentile, 4 stars) with only 0.8% chronic absenteeism. Waukesha STEM Academy (118th of 1,039) and Les Paul Middle (154th of 643, 76th percentile) round out the standouts.

Other schools face bigger challenges. La Casa de Esperanza ranks 939th of 1,039 (10th percentile), with 24.2% chronic absenteeism. Horning Middle (442nd of 643), Hadfield Elementary (730th of 1,039), East Alternative (503rd of 533, with 81.6% chronic absenteeism), and South High (413rd of 533) also lag. Two patterns matter for parents: low chronic absenteeism tracks closely with strong results, and neither higher poverty nor higher spending reliably predicts outcomes.

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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 Vaccination Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ACT English Language Arts (2026)	ACT Mathematics (2026)	ACT Science (2026)	Forward Exam English Language Arts (2026)						Forward Exam Mathematics (2026)						Forward Exam Social Studies (2026)			Forward Exam Science (2026)		Vaccination (2025-26)		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 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	Vaccination: Kindergartners meeting all minimum immunization requirements	Vaccination: Exemption rate	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
La Casa de Esperanza Charter School	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	410 Arcadian Ave	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	La Casa De Esperanza Inc	Yes	No	No	Yes	(262) 547-0887	310	20	15.8	72.3%	30 (9.7%)	69 (22.3%)	200 (64.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.9%)	9.1	939^th of 1039 public elementary schools	9.6%		11.3	934^th of 1044 public elementary schools	10.5%	5				34.4	29.0	14.8	14.8	33.3	35.0	31.3	9.7	11.1	18.5	38.9	30.0	35.5	40.0		12.9	35.0
Banting Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2019 Butler Dr	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	Yes	(262) 970-1205	486	42	11.4	49.8%	184 (37.9%)	36 (7.4%)	197 (40.5%)	37 (7.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.4%)	58.7	457^th of 1039 public elementary schools	56.0%		60.3	455^th of 1044 public elementary schools	56.4%	2				47.4	59.7	50.0				74.1	62.1	58.6				66.7			47.8		81%		$15,562	$853	$14,709
Les Paul Middle	Public	6-8	325 Carroll St	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 970-3105	547	44	12.3	36.0%	345 (63.1%)	22 (4.0%)	141 (25.8%)	10 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.3%)	73	154^th of 643 public middle schools	76.0%		73.6	135^th of 628 public middle schools	78.5%	19							65.4	67.1	59.8				64.8	74.7	71.7		71.7			58.3			$16,340	$393	$15,947
Hadfield Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	733 Linden St	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	Yes	(262) 970-1505	338	37	9.0	73.7%	169 (50.0%)	44 (13.0%)	80 (23.7%)	11 (3.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (9.8%)	39.2	730^th of 1039 public elementary schools	29.7%		35.4	765^th of 1044 public elementary schools	26.7%	35				41.2	51.3	40.7				44.0	53.9	27.8				69.2			51.3		90%		$18,522	$2,442	$16,080
Heyer Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	1209 Heyer Dr	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	Yes	(262) 970-1705	328	31	10.7	54.0%	126 (38.4%)	8 (2.4%)	174 (53.0%)	8 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.7%)	35.1	762^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	26.7%		55.5	524^th of 1044 public elementary schools	49.8%	238				26.5	37.7	59.2				49.0	52.8	44.9				49.1			30.2		92%		$16,411	$857	$15,554
Hillcrest Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	2200 Davidson Rd	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 970-1805	239	19	12.3	29.3%	165 (69.0%)	4 (1.7%)	25 (10.5%)	25 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (8.4%)	86.8	72^nd of 1039 public elementary schools	93.1%		86.3	69^th of 1044 public elementary schools	93.4%	3				57.6	79.4	71.4				78.8	85.3	77.1				94.1			85.3		89%		$16,553	$398	$16,155
Horning Middle	Public	6-8	1809 Butler Dr	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 970-3305	534	48	11.1	54.9%	222 (41.6%)	50 (9.4%)	206 (38.6%)	20 (3.7%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	33 (6.2%)	38.4	442^nd of 643 public middle schools	31.3%		34.7	459^th of 628 public middle schools	26.9%	17							51.5	48.0	38.9				48.6	48.0	46.8		49.4			43.0			$17,201	$406	$16,794
Waukesha STEM Academy	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	1103 S East Avenue	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	Yes	No	No	No	(262) 970-2305	580	42	13.6	25.0%	404 (69.7%)	23 (4.0%)	82 (14.1%)	31 (5.3%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.9%)	82.8	118^th of 1039 public elementary schools	88.6%		84.6	99^th of 1044 public elementary schools	90.5%	19				76.0	69.1	75.9	70.9	80.3	71.3	78.0	72.7	67.2	75.5	88.9	81.2	83.6	70.3		65.5	78.2	85%		$14,819	$393	$14,426
South High	Public	9-12	401 E Roberta Ave	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 970-3705	833	72	11.6	55.2%	332 (39.9%)	98 (11.8%)	343 (41.2%)	16 (1.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (4.8%)	28.8	413^th of 533 public high schools	22.5%		25.8	350^th of 431 public high schools	18.8%	63	33.7	31.6	30.6															30.9					$21,344	$394	$20,950
White Rock School	Public	PK, KG-8	1150 Whiterock Ave	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 970-2705	286	1	381.3	11.5%	209 (73.1%)	1 (0.3%)	22 (7.7%)	22 (7.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	31 (10.8%)	72.7	275^th of 1039 public elementary schools	73.5%		74.4	245^th of 1044 public elementary schools	76.5%	30				67.7	84.9	88.9	76.9	89.5	91.3	51.6	54.6	37.0	53.9	68.4	65.2	84.9	91.3		78.8	87.0			$4,448	$391	$4,057
Waukesha East Alternative School	Public	6-12	1150 Whiterock Ave	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 970-4355	74	9	8.2	78.4%	20 (27.0%)	11 (14.9%)	38 (51.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (6.8%)	4.6	503^rd of 533 public high schools	5.6%					(n/a)	23.1	0.0	0.0															0.0					$26,639	$391	$26,248
Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy	Public, Charter	9-12	401 E Roberta Ave	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	Yes	No	No	No	(262) 970-3880	144	3	48.0	22.2%	107 (74.3%)	1 (0.7%)	25 (17.4%)	9 (6.3%)	1 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)	97.7	4^th of 533 public high schools	99.2%		97.4	5^th of 431 public high schools	98.8%	1	78.4	89.2	83.8															80.6					$4,491	$391	$4,099
Waukesha Transition Academy	Public	12	1150 Whiterock Ave	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 970-1102	36	6	6.0	30.6%	20 (55.6%)	3 (8.3%)	10 (27.8%)	1 (2.8%)	1 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (2.8%)								(n/a)																							$26,845	$396	$26,449
Riverview School	Public	6-12	521 Riverview Ave	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	No	No	No	No	(262) 548-7731	5	1	5.0	—	3 (60.0%)	2 (40.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)																							$4,448	$391	$4,057
Waukesha Academy of Health Professions	Public, Charter	9-12	401 E Roberta Ave	Waukesha	53186	Waukesha County	Waukesha School District	Yes	No	No	No	(262) 970-3775	112	1	112.0	33.9%	68 (60.7%)	1 (0.9%)	35 (31.3%)	4 (3.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.6%)	62.1	206^th of 533 public high schools	61.4%		90.2	26^th of 431 public high schools	94.0%	180	41.7	37.5	54.2															60.7					$4,496	$391	$4,105

Cities Near Zip Code 53186

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Waukesha	0.28 mi	29	231^st
New Berlin	3.83 mi	7	50^th
Brookfield	4.05 mi	8	8^th
Pewaukee	4.82 mi	4	28^th
Elm Grove	6.13 mi	2	5^th

See the top WI Wisconsin cities

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.