Summary:
ZIP code 53214 contains just one middle school in this data set — West Milwaukee Intermediate — which serves grades 6–8 with 378 students as part of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. The surrounding community is high-poverty: 76.72% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, per-student spending is $16,031, and the student-teacher ratio is 13.1.
Achievement is the main concern. The school ranks in the bottom 17th percentile statewide with a 1-star rating, and its statewide percentile has barely moved — from 15 in 2023–2024 to 17 in both 2024–2025 and 2025–2026. In 2025–2026 it trailed the state in every reported subject and grade level, and trailed its own district in all but one: 8th grade ELA, where 45.59% of students were proficient, above the district's 42.16%. There were real gains in 8th grade — ELA rose 17.68 points and Math rose 11.35 points to 33.82%, close to the district average. But 6th grade Math is the weakest score in the data at 19.01%, down 14.05 points in a year and 34.59 points below the state. 8th grade Social Studies also slipped 6.99 points to 44.7%. Across grades, Math averages 26.43% proficient versus 54.31% statewide.
Two non-test measures stand out. The dropout rate is 1.1%, equal to the state rate and well below the district's 3.1% — a relative strength. Chronic absenteeism, however, is 20.9%, higher than both the district (19.5%) and the state (17.3%). Notably, the highest-performing grade flipped between years: 6th grade led in 2024–2025, while 8th grade led in 2025–2026, which may reflect cohort or instructional changes. Overall, families should see a school with genuine bright spots in 8th grade and a clear attendance challenge, with proficiency still below district and state benchmarks.
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