Summary:
ZIP code 53204 has one middle school, United Community Center Acosta Middle School, which serves grades 6–8 with 188 students as part of the United Community Center Inc district in Milwaukee. It is the only middle school option in this ZIP code, and it serves a high-need population: 80.32% of students were eligible for free/reduced lunch in 2024–2025, while the student-teacher ratio was 11:1 and per-student spending was $8,912 in 2020–2021.
Academically, the school remains in the bottom quartile. In 2025–2026 it ranked 490 of 643 schools, at the 24th percentile with 1 star; over three years its percentile stayed between 21 and 24. The district ranked 363 of 432, at the 16th percentile with 1 star. In 2025–2026, no reported subject or grade exceeded the district or state average. The brightest spot was 7th grade math at 54.17% proficient, only 1.50 percentage points below the state average. ELA ranged from 37.1% to 40.28%, science was 30.36%, and social studies was 46.43%. The school improved in six of eight exams year over year, led by 7th grade math (+22.80 points) and 7th grade ELA (+12.83 points), while social studies (-8.41) and science (-3.51) declined. Its rough composite rose to 41.94%, still about 7.48 points behind the district and 13.57 points behind the state.
Engagement measures are also higher than district and state averages: the dropout rate was 1.7% versus 0.9% district and 1.1% state, and chronic absenteeism was 19.4% versus 16.4% district and 17.3% state. For parents, the main takeaway is that this school has small classes and encouraging momentum in 7th grade math and ELA, but overall proficiency, science, social studies, and absenteeism remain areas to monitor.
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