Summary:
ZIP code 53223 contains four elementary schools — Brown Deer Elementary (PK–5, 709 students), Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary (PK–8, 384), Thoreau Elementary (PK–8, 353), and Barton Elementary (PK–5, 283) — serving 1,729 students total, with three schools in Milwaukee School District and one in Brown Deer School District. Families here choose between a PK–5 path and PK–8 schools that also serve middle grades.
Brown Deer Elementary is the clear standout: it ranks 605 of 1,039 schools (42nd percentile, 2 stars) and has climbed from the 28th to the 33rd to the 42nd percentile over three years. Chronic absenteeism is 22.3% and free/reduced lunch 57.97%, both far below the Milwaukee schools, and its 3rd grade math proficiency reached 80.73% versus the state's 54.75%. Its later grades slip, though — 5th grade math falls to 37.61% against a state mark of 51.81%. The three Milwaukee schools all rank in the bottom 5% of state schools with 0 stars: Barton (985, 5th percentile), Thoreau (997, 4th percentile), and Milwaukee Sign Language (1,009, 3rd percentile). Their chronic absenteeism runs 55.8%, 60.2%, and 68.0% respectively, against 17.3% statewide.
Proficiency is low at all three Milwaukee schools. Milwaukee Sign Language averages roughly 9.1% across its 2025–2026 tests, including 0% in 5th grade ELA and math; Barton is the strongest of the three, with 18.52% in 5th grade ELA. Science is weak across the entire ZIP, from a low of 2.94% to a high of 41.67% in 4th grade science versus 53.46% statewide. Spending does not track results: the highest per-student figure, $26,248, belongs to the lowest-scoring school, while the lowest, $15,061, belongs to the strongest. Student-teacher ratios are nearly identical (15.3 to 16.3). Dropout rates are mixed — Thoreau reports 4.6%, above the district's 4.0% and the state's 1.1%, while Milwaukee Sign Language reports 0.9%, below both.
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