Summary:
ZIP code 53207 on Milwaukee's south side contains 10 elementary schools serving roughly 4,239 students, mostly spanning PK–8 (with Riley Dual Language Montessori at PK–7 and Whittier Elementary at PK–5); nine are in Milwaukee School District, ranked 418 of 432 districts statewide (3rd percentile, 0 stars), and one is in Downtown Montessori Academy Inc, ranked 81 of 432 (81st percentile, 4 stars).
Whittier Elementary is the highest-ranked school here at the 74th percentile with 4 stars — the only 4-star school in the ZIP code — pairing low chronic absenteeism (9.7%) with strong ELA and math results, though its 146 students mean single grade percentages swing easily. Fernwood Montessori, the largest high performer at 731 students, ranks in the 68th percentile with 3 stars, has the lowest reported free/reduced-lunch rate (20.52%) and 8.9% absenteeism, and climbed from the 54th percentile in 2023–2024. Downtown Montessori posts the highest average proficiency (73.4%) and low absenteeism (8.2%), but also a striking 16.0% dropout rate. Bay View Montessori has the lowest chronic absenteeism in the group at 3.1%. Trowbridge Street School of Great Lakes Studies improved from the 15th to the 27th percentile despite the highest absenteeism (35.2%) and free/reduced lunch (82.89%). Riley Dual Language Montessori is lowest ranked (10th percentile, 1 star), with a 21.6% average proficiency and multiple 0% math results.
Patterns for parents: lower free/reduced-lunch rates and lower absenteeism generally accompany higher achievement, while higher spending and smaller classes do not guarantee results (Trowbridge spends $23,219 yet ranks in the 27th percentile). Math tends to trail ELA across the group, small enrollments make grade-level results volatile, and Downtown Montessori's dropout figure is an anomaly worth asking about directly.
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