Summary:
ZIP code 53219 on Milwaukee's southwest side is home to three elementary schools — Milwaukee Spanish Immersion (PK–5, 605 students), Fairview Elementary (PK–8, 603 students), and Jefferson Elementary (PK–5, 393 students) — serving roughly 1,600 students combined across the Milwaukee School District and the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, both of which rank in the bottom 10% of Wisconsin districts and carry zero stars.
Each school stands out for a different reason. Fairview posts the strongest absolute results and does its best work in the upper grades, where 7th-grade ELA (55.17%) nearly matches the state and 8th-grade science (50%) is the only science result in the ZIP at or above 50%; it also reports a 0.0% dropout rate. Milwaukee Spanish Immersion adds the most value relative to its district, beating the Milwaukee district average in most subjects — 3rd-grade ELA at 50% versus the district's 21.43% — and it is the highest-ranked of the three. Jefferson pairs the healthiest conditions with the weakest outcomes: the lowest chronic absenteeism (16.4%), smallest classes (12.5 students per teacher), and lowest poverty rate (64.63% FRL), yet the lowest rank and the only record that underperforms its own district.
Two cautions apply here. None of the 32 reported school-level test results in 2025-26 exceeds the state average, though several come very close. Spending also does not track with results: Fairview spends the most per student ($19,460) and Jefferson the least ($15,907), yet Jefferson has the most favorable learning conditions and the lowest ranking. Ranking trends diverge, too — Milwaukee Spanish Immersion and Fairview each improved their percentile, while Jefferson's fell. Finally, grade-level percentages rest on small cohorts, so a few students can move a grade-level figure by double digits; building-level averages are the steadier signal, and those show Milwaukee Spanish Immersion improving, Fairview declining slightly, and Jefferson roughly flat.
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