Summary:
ZIP 53208 in Milwaukee is served by three public high schools covering grades 9–12: Pathways High, Groppi High, and Transition High. Combined enrollment is only 344 students, with each school between 90 and 149 students — small enough that a handful of students can swing a percentage dramatically. Pathways High Inc is a single-school charter district, while Milwaukee School District operates the other two.
Outcomes differ sharply. Transition High has the strongest results of the three: a 65.2% graduation rate, a 15.2% dropout rate, and the smallest classes at 9.7 students per teacher. Groppi High spends the most per student ($30,719) but graduates the fewest of the two district schools (49.2%) and has the group's highest dropout rate (20.9%). Pathways High posts the lowest graduation rate (37.5%) and the weakest test scores — roughly 16–26% proficient across subjects versus 43–48% statewide — despite reporting far lower poverty indicators (30.2% free/reduced lunch) than its neighbors (about 87–90%). It also reports a 0.0% dropout rate, which sits oddly beside a 37.5% graduation rate and is worth verifying.
The clearest shared problem is attendance. Chronic absenteeism reaches 98.5% at Groppi High and 99.0% at Transition High — effectively every student — and 47.0% at Pathways High, against 17.3% statewide. Both district schools also underperform Milwaukee School District averages, meaning district-wide numbers understate how much these two campuses struggle. Parents should also note that recent state rankings and test scores exist only for the charter; for the other two, the newest evidence available is 2024-25 graduation, dropout, and attendance data.
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