Best Public Schools in Zip Code 53226

ZIP code 53226 in Wauwatosa contains five schools, all within the Wauwatosa School District: three elementary schools — McKinley Elementary, Underwood Elementary, and Wauwatosa Montessori School (PK–8) — plus two alternative schools, Vel R Phillips School and Wauwatosa Virtual Academy, which serve grades 3–12. There are no standalone middle or high schools in the ZIP, so traditional high school students attend elsewhere. Total enrollment is 1,109 students, ranging from 388 at McKinley to 91 at the Virtual Academy.

Two schools stand out. Wauwatosa Montessori School ranks 140 of 1,039 Wisconsin schools (87th percentile, 4 stars) and McKinley Elementary ranks 142 of 1,039 (86th percentile, 4 stars); both have been consistently strong over three years. Montessori reached 100% proficiency in 6th grade English Language Arts, 8th grade Social Studies, and 8th grade Science, plus 90% in 8th grade ELA and Mathematics. McKinley scored above the state average in all 8 reported tests, including 89.36% in 4th grade Social Studies (district 75.17%, state 65.51%). Both report low chronic absenteeism (4.4% and 4.5%). By contrast, Underwood Elementary ranks 698 of 1,039 (33rd percentile, 2 stars). Its 3rd grade ELA was a bright spot at 69.23%, but 4th grade ELA (35.85%) and 5th grade Math (36.73%) lag, with absenteeism at 13.5%.

The alternative schools differ sharply. Vel R Phillips School has a 17.2% dropout rate versus 0.9% district-wide, sparse test data (40% in 10th grade Social Studies), $31,612 per-student spending, and a 4.7 student-teacher ratio. Wauwatosa Virtual Academy has a 78.5% graduation rate, low ACT-subject proficiency (16.67% in ELA and Mathematics, 8.33% in Science), and the highest student-teacher ratio at 22.7. Both report 0.0% chronic absenteeism, which likely reflects their specialized missions and reporting contexts.