Waukesha School District, WI

Original Research by School Decision on Waukesha School District

The Waukesha School District serves roughly the same number of students as the city of Waukesha itself, with enrollment that trends slightly larger through the upper grades. Of the district’s several thousand students, the largest share identify as White, followed by a substantial Hispanic population and smaller Black, Asian, and multiracial groups. This is a full Pre-K through twelfth-grade district, and it runs a large number of schools, including multiple comprehensive high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools, as well as several alternative, STEM, and virtual academies that give families choices within the public system.

Academically, the district sits in the bottom quarter of Waukesha County districts when overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades is measured across a county-wide cohort of twenty-three public school systems. Within the district itself, proficiency rates statewide assessments vary by grade and subject. In elementary grades, math proficiency runs higher than in the middle grades. English language arts proficiency runs between roughly sixty percent and a little over sixty percent across grades three through eight, with the lowest rates in the middle school years. Science and social studies results in grades four and eight fall in a similar general range, with fourth-grade social studies marking the highest proficiency point across all tested subjects. A parent looking at these scores should see a district where a majority of students meet state benchmarks in most tested areas, but performance is not uniform and dips in some grades.

Chronic absenteeism is a soft spot. The district’s chronic absenteeism rate sits in the bottom quarter among Waukesha County peers, meaning a higher share of students miss enough school to raise a concern. A family moving into the area may want to ask the district or an individual school how they track and address attendance.

The district has been through visible structural change that directly affects where children go to school. Whittier Elementary was closed and merged into Hadfield Elementary in response to a budget shortfall and declining enrollment, which redrew attendance boundaries. Bethesda Elementary and Hawthorne Elementary are both scheduled to close in 2026, further consolidating elementary capacity. For middle school families, Horning Middle School is being transformed into a STEM program at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year, and Saratoga STEM Middle School is being sold at the same time. These changes mean that the set of school options and the programs within them are not static, and families should expect that attendance zones and program locations will shift. The district also offers specialized options that may appeal to children with particular interests: the Waukesha STEM Academy, the Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy, and the Waukesha Academy of Health Professions are all listed among the district’s schools.

Spending per pupil lands in the middle range but the lower half when compared against other districts in the county, which is a data point worth noting but not one that tells the whole story on its own.

The housing market in the parts of Waukesha County that feed the district shows home values that cluster distinctly by zip code. The highest-priced areas sit well above the most affordable parts of the district, meaning that within the same school district, the housing stock varies notably. The overall direction of home values in the district has been rising, and the county’s market has a moderate number of active listings with days on market that have lengthened a bit compared to a year ago. Rental costs have moved up more sharply in some zip codes than others. The broad economic context shows mortgage rates that remain elevated by recent standards and a national unemployment rate that has been steady.

A parent considering this district should see a large urban-suburban system that serves a diverse student body and offers a range of program choices, including several themed academies. The academic picture is one where performance is mixed and falls below the top tier of the county. The district is actively consolidating buildings and reconfiguring programs, so the school your child attends today may not be the same building or program a few years from now.

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District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

11,318

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 24%

Black 6%

White 61%

Asian 3%

Two+ 6%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

By economic status

Percent proficient by grade, as reported

Economically disadvantaged

Not disadvantaged

ELA

Gr 3

39%

74%

Gr 4

41%

75%

Gr 5

39%

71%

Gr 6

38%

70%

Gr 7

39%

77%

Gr 8

39%

69%

Math

Gr 3

56%

81%

Gr 4

47%

79%

Gr 5

42%

73%

Gr 6

35%

71%

Gr 7

42%

81%

Gr 8

32%

69%

Science

Gr 4

32%

71%

Gr 8

30%

65%

Social studies

Gr 4

52%

84%

Gr 8

41%

72%

source_specific:read

Gr 3

42%

70%

Gr 4

41%

74%

Gr 5

39%

67%

Gr 6

40%

70%

Gr 7

43%

75%

Gr 8

40%

69%

source_specific:wri

Gr 3

40%

72%

Gr 4

40%

74%

Gr 5

40%

73%

Gr 6

37%

71%

Gr 7

38%

77%

Gr 8

42%

70%

Schools in this District

27 schools are officially reported under this district.

Summit View Elementary

Meadowbrook Elementary

North High

Prairie Elementary

Waukesha STEM Academy

South High

White Rock School

Rose Glen Elementary

Waukesha East Alternative School

Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy

White Rock Campus

Waukesha Transition Academy

eAchieve Elementary

Riverview School

Hawthorne Elementary

Waukesha Academy of Health Professions

eAchieve Academy - Wisconsin

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

71%

Grade 3

67%

Grade 4

61%

Grade 5

56%

Grade 6

65%

Grade 7

55%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

61%

Grade 3

62%

Grade 4

59%

Grade 5

57%

Grade 6

61%

Grade 7

58%

Grade 8

Science

2 grades reported

56%

Grade 4

52%

Grade 8

Social Studies

2 grades reported

72%

Grade 4

60%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$463,062

Year-over-year change+5.7%

Range across 7 ZIP codes$367K to $560K

vs. state typical1.39x

vs. national typical1.26x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (7 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
53189	Waukesha	$505K	+6.4%	45.2%
53188	Waukesha	$428K	+4.7%	28.1%
53186	Waukesha	$367K	+5.4%	17.2%
53072	Village of Pewaukee	$543K	+6.2%	5.7%
53045	Brookfield	$546K	+4.9%	3.5%
53183	Wales	$560K	+4.9%	0.1%
53146	New Berlin	$445K	+4.8%	0.0%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$1,633/mo

Year-over-year change+10.1%

Range across 4 ZIP codes$1,477 to $2,274/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (4 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
53188	Waukesha	$1,539	—	28.1%
53186	Waukesha	$1,477	+10.1%	17.2%
53072	Village of Pewaukee	$2,274	—	5.7%
53045	Brookfield	$2,096	—	3.5%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$2,337/mo

Home price / national median income5.5x

Annual rent / national median income23.4%

Est. mortgage exceeds rent by$704/mo

Market Activity: Waukesha County

Median listing price$584,900

Median listing price YoY+1.7%

Median price per sq ft$253

Median price per sq ft YoY+2.4%

Median days on market36.0 days

Median days on market YoY+24.1%

Active listings1,005

Active listings YoY+4.0%

New listings568

New listings YoY-2.1%

Pending listings194

Pending listings YoY+7.8%

Hotness: median listing price$584,450

Hotness: median listing price YoY+1.6%

Supply score86.2

Supply score YoY-7.9%

Demand score91.2

Demand score YoY-4.0%

Median listing price (12 months)

Median price per sq ft (12 months)

Median days on market (12 months)

Active listings (12 months)

New listings (12 months)

Pending listings (12 months)

Hotness: median listing price (12 months)

Supply score (12 months)

Demand score (12 months)

Comparison

State typical home value$333,909 (+5.4% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.