Central City Cyberschool, Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on Central City Cyberschool

Central City Cyberschool is a public charter school in Milwaukee serving students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade. It operates as a regular school within its own single-school district, the Central City Cyberschool of Milwaukee Inc. The school is located on the city’s northwest side, on North 44th Street, in a historically African American neighborhood shaped by Milwaukee’s larger legacy of industrial decline and residential segregation.

The student body is overwhelmingly Black, and a very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is small for a school spanning thirteen grade levels, and the high school grades are especially thin; the twelfth-grade class is the smallest in the building. Because the school combines elementary, middle, and high school under one roof in a small setting, students experience a continuity that larger schools cannot offer, though the limited cohort size in upper grades means fewer classmates and a narrower range of course sections than a comprehensive high school would provide.

On state assessments, proficiency rates in math, English language arts, science, and social studies are low across every tested grade level and subject. A single-digit share of fourth and eighth graders scored proficient in science. Math proficiency peaks in eighth grade at roughly a third of students, but in most elementary and middle grades it falls below that. English language arts proficiency hovers between about one in eight and one in four students, depending on grade. Compared with other districts in Milwaukee County, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. A parent looking at these results will want to talk with the school directly about academic intervention supports, curriculum approach, and how the school addresses foundational skill gaps.

No data was available on the school’s graduation rate, chronic absenteeism, or special education and English learner populations. Because the school serves high school grades, the absence of a reported graduation rate is a notable gap. A family considering this school for secondary grades should ask the school for its four-year graduation rate and postsecondary outcomes directly.

Publicly reported information describes Milwaukee as a large, economically diverse city with a strong corporate sector—several Fortune 500 companies are headquartered here—and a dense cluster of cultural amenities along the lakefront and rivers. The city has experienced sustained population decline over several decades, and its poverty rate is high relative to state and national averages. The neighborhood surrounding the school is residential and car-dependent, a common pattern in Milwaukee’s outlying areas. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes to the school’s operations or programming.

Central City Cyberschool offers a small, cohesive environment across all grades for families who want their child to stay in one school from kindergarten through high school. The school’s academic results are where the serious conversation lies. A parent should expect to ask pointed questions about what is being done to raise achievement, what academic supports are in place, and what pathways exist for high school students who may need stronger preparation for college or career. The school’s charter status means it has some flexibility in its programming, but the performance data suggests that flexibility has not yet translated into strong academic outcomes.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

Not publicly reportedCohort of 3 students · Class of 2021

The federal source does not publish a graduation rate for cohorts this small. The cohort size is shown for context.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

528 schools plotted. 25 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 315%

School 15% · District 15%

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 48 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 511%

School 11% · District 11%

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

Grade 614%

School 14% · District 14%

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 25%

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 12%

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 526%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 619%

School 19% · District 19%

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 721%

School 21% · District 21%

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 818%

School 18% · District 18%

▼ 34 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Science

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 5%

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 6%

▼ 59 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 23%

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

This schoolCentral City Cyberschool of Milwaukee Inc, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.