Summary:
ZIP code 53222 contains two high schools: West High, which serves grades 9–12 with 986 students in the Wauwatosa School District, and Milwaukee School of Languages, which serves grades 6–12 with 964 students in the Milwaukee School District. Together they enroll roughly 1,950 students, though the totals are not perfectly comparable because Milwaukee School of Languages also includes middle grades. The district contexts are very different: Wauwatosa ranks 142 of 432 districts (67th percentile, 3 stars), while Milwaukee ranks 418 of 432 (3rd percentile, 0 stars).
West High is the stronger school in absolute outcomes. In 2025–26 it ranked 161 of 533 schools — the 70th percentile with 4 stars. Its graduation rate is 95.8% and its dropout rate is 0.1%, both better than the state's 92.0% and 1.1%. Its 2025–26 test scores in Social Studies, ELA, Math, and Science are all above the state averages, though below its own Wauwatosa district averages. One concern: chronic absenteeism is 22.6%, above both the Wauwatosa district rate of 12.6% and the state rate of 17.3%.
Milwaukee School of Languages is a standout relative to its district. It ranks 435 of 533 (18th percentile, 1 star) but beats Milwaukee district averages on graduation (87.9% versus 71.5%), dropout (1.0% versus 4.0%), chronic absenteeism (37.6% versus 46.2%), and ACT ELA, Math, and Science. Even so, it remains below state averages in all four tested subjects, and its chronic absenteeism is more than double the state's 17.3%. It also spends more per student — $19,266 versus $14,779 — which likely reflects different student needs rather than efficiency.
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