Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 53215

ZIP code 53215 contains 10 elementary schools serving roughly 4,588 students combined, with enrollment ranging from 250 at Zablocki Elementary to 609 at Doerfler Elementary. Seven schools serve PK–8 and three serve PK–5: Lincoln Avenue Elementary, Rocketship Southside Community Prep, and Zablocki Elementary. Most belong to Milwaukee School District, while Rocketship Southside Community Prep and Seeds of Health Elementary Program are charter schools. Poverty is widespread — free/reduced lunch averages 82.7% across the group. Proficiency sits far below state averages, with ZIP averages near 22% in ELA and 18% in math versus state averages around 54% in both, and all 10 schools rank in the bottom fifth of Wisconsin schools.

ALBA - Academia de Lenguaje y Bellas Artes is the clearest standout, with the highest ELA and social studies averages, chronic absenteeism of just 4.9% — far below the district's 46.2% and the state's 17.3% — and a 0.0% dropout rate, despite 87.02% free/reduced lunch. Rocketship Southside Community Prep posts the strongest math average (44.2%) and the best 2025–2026 rank percentile (18th), though its free/reduced lunch rate of 32.78% is far lower than every other school, so comparisons are not direct. Zablocki Elementary shows the sharpest mismatch: the highest per-student spending ($25,787) and lowest student-teacher ratio (11:1), yet the lowest math average (8.8%) and very low ELA (10.8%).

Attendance is the area's broadest challenge: nine of 10 schools exceed the state chronic absenteeism rate, and Doerfler Elementary, Zablocki Elementary, and Manitoba Elementary are above 40%, with Doerfler Elementary at 49.4%. Lincoln Avenue Elementary is next best at 22.2%, but its proficiency stays low, showing attendance alone does not guarantee achievement. Dropout rates are mostly low, with ALBA, U S Grant School, Greenfield Bilingual, and Curtin Elementary reporting 0.0%. Bright spots appear in individual grades — Curtin Elementary's grade 8 social studies at 43.75% and ALBA's grade 8 ELA at 50% — but math and science remain weak nearly everywhere.