Milwaukee Math and Science Academy, Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on Milwaukee Math and Science Academy

Milwaukee Math and Science Academy is a public charter school serving prekindergarten through eighth grade, operating as its own school district under the name Milwaukee Math and Science Academy Inc. It sits in a single building on North Sherman Boulevard, in one of the city’s north-side neighborhoods. A parent or guardian considering the school will want to know what the enrollment, test results, and peer environment look like. The school’s name suggests a focus on math and science, though the available data does not offer specific course offerings or a dedicated program description to confirm what that means in practice.

The student body is small for the grade band it covers, and the demographic profile is distinctive. Nearly all students identify as Black. A very small number identify as Hispanic, and a similarly small number identify as two or more races. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is very high, which places the school in a community where economic need is widespread. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available. That gap is worth noting because it may affect how a family thinks about special education services or language support. Questions about those populations are best directed to the school directly.

In terms of state assessment results, the school’s performance falls well below the proficiency rates seen across most of Milwaukee County. On the Wisconsin Forward exam, proficiency in math and English language arts was low across nearly every tested grade. Third-graders reached proficiency in math at a rate that was below typical county levels. Fourth-grade math proficiency was far lower, and fifth-grade math showed no students reaching the proficient bar. There was one grade, sixth, where half of students met the math proficiency standard, a notably stronger result than the pattern elsewhere in the building. But in seventh and eighth grades, math proficiency fell to very low levels again. English language arts results followed a similar pattern, with the highest single-grade proficiency occurring in third grade and the lowest in eighth grade, where only a sliver of students met the standard. Science and social studies results were also low, though social studies in eighth grade was somewhat higher than the school’s overall trend. A parent seeing these results will want to understand what academic interventions or support systems the school offers and how they align with the performance seen on state tests.

Because the school serves only prekindergarten through eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. That is a consequence of the grade structure, not a missing measure.

The building itself recently moved. Public records show that the school previously operated at a different address on West Burleigh Street and that its current location on North Sherman Boulevard was reflected in the most recent school directory. A campus relocation is a practical change for families. It can shift commute times, neighborhood context, and the condition of the facility. Anyone considering the school may want to confirm the quality of the current space and whether any further moves are planned.

The Milwaukee context is important background. Milwaukee is Wisconsin’s largest city, a dense urban center with a mix of industrial and commercial districts, major employers, and a lakefront that shapes much of its civic identity. It is also a city with deep economic disparities and a history of racial segregation. The housing market in the zip code covering the school shows home values well below both the state and national medians, and rents are correspondingly moderate. Economic conditions in the area, including the national unemployment rate and mortgage rates, are the broad national backdrop rather than a local snapshot.

The school’s academic results place it in the bottom quartile among all school districts in Milwaukee County for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. That is a difficult position, and a family weighing options would be right to look closely at the school’s plan for improvement. If the school’s focus on math and science is a draw, a parent may want to ask how that focus shows up in the classroom day to day and whether it has resulted in any enrichment or acceleration opportunities that are not captured by the state test data. Without program details in the available information, those are questions best answered by a school visit or conversation with the principal.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 24%

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

Grade 44%

School 4% · District 4%

▼ 50 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 50%

School 0% · District 0%

▼ 51 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 33 pts above county median

Grade 75%

School 5% · District 5%

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

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 5%

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

English language arts

Grade 314%

School 14% · District 14%

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

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 12%

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

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 8%

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 13%

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 9%

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

Grade 85%

School 5% · District 5%

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

Science

Grade 48%

School 8% · District 8%

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

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 9%

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

Social studies

Grade 416%

School 16% · District 16%

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 23%

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

This schoolMilwaukee Math and Science Academy 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.