Summary:
ZIP code 53217 covers 8 public schools — 3 elementary, 3 middle, and 2 high schools — serving roughly 4,540 students across four districts, all rated 5 stars and ranked among the strongest in Wisconsin.
Standouts begin at the top. Whitefish Bay High is the flagship: #5 of 533 high schools statewide (99th percentile), with proficiency around 79–83% across subjects, a 97.7% graduation rate, and 0.0% dropout. Among middle schools, Bayside Middle ranks #4 of 643 and posts the ZIP's highest single proficiency figure, 95.29% in Social Studies, while Whitefish Bay Middle ranks #5 of 643 with nearly equal outcomes for about $9,500 less per student. At the elementary level, Stormonth Elementary ranks #9 of 1,039 and Richards Elementary ranks #18 of 1,039 — Richards reaching the 98th percentile while spending the least in the ZIP ($11,358) with the highest student-teacher ratio (18.2). Nicolet High ranks #68 of 533 (87th percentile, 4 stars), a strong school by state standards, though its proficiency trails Whitefish Bay High by roughly 18–27 percentage points and its rank has slipped from #28 in 2023-24.
Across all eight schools, chronic absenteeism ranges from 2.2% at Indian Hill School to 5.4% at Maple Dale School, versus 17.3% statewide — a consistent strength. Every reported proficiency score beats the state average, and spending and class size do not map neatly onto results. The districts — Whitefish Bay School District, Fox Point J2 School District, Maple Dale-Indian Hill School District, and Nicolet Union High School School District — all rank in at least the 91st percentile. Families here are choosing among an unusually strong set of options rather than seeking a single standout.
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