Wisconsin Hills Middle, Brookfield WI

Original Research by School Decision on Wisconsin Hills Middle

Wisconsin Hills Middle serves the Elmbrook School District, an academically strong district in the western Milwaukee suburbs. This public middle school, covering grades six through eight, sits in an affluent, car-dependent community where the housing market reflects significant demand and high property values. The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet.

The school population is predominantly white, with a substantial Asian student presence and smaller shares of Hispanic, two-or-more-races, and Black students. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and data on the number of students with an Individualized Education Program or who are English learners was not available in the source material. A parent may want to look into this further with the school if their child requires specialized support or language services.

On state assessments, across the tested subjects and grade levels, the school’s proficiency rates are consistently above the county median across all subjects. For the eighth-grade class specifically, a strong majority of students demonstrated proficiency in English language arts, social studies, and math. The science proficiency rate for eighth graders was lower than the other subjects and was the weaker result in the school’s reported data; a parent may want to ask the school about its science curriculum and support. Looking across all grades and subjects, the school’s overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among twenty-one schools in Waukesha County for which this measure was available, which is a mark of solid but not top-tier performance in a competitive county context. Participation rates on the tests were high, lending confidence that the results reflect the school’s population.

The school has no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate. The school environment data did not include information on chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staffing ratios. Those are gaps a parent may want to explore by contacting the school directly.

Brookfield, where the school is located, is a suburban city with substantial commercial and office development, anchored by the Brookfield Square mall and corporate headquarters like Fiserv. The city lacks a traditional downtown; civic life and commercial activity are dispersed across highways and shopping corridors. The Elmbrook School District, which serves Brookfield, is consistently ranked among the top districts in Wisconsin based on standardized achievement data, with both of its high schools performing well on the ACT. The district completed swimming pool remodels at both high schools in 2022, a facility improvement originating from an earlier voter-approved referendum.

The housing market in the area carries a high price tag, with home values and rents well above national and state benchmarks. The median listing price in Waukesha County reflects a premium market. The community is car-dependent, and most residents drive alone to work. The city has off-road bike paths and maintains a substantial park system, but the built environment is suburban and separated rather than pedestrian-oriented.

For a family, this school sits within a high-performing district in a pricey, suburban community. The academic results are strong across most subjects, with science being the relative weak spot. The student body is not highly diverse economically, and the school’s overall proficiency index, while solid, sits below some of its county peers. A parent considering this school would be looking at a traditional, well-regarded middle school in an accomplished district, located in a community where the housing costs reflect the academic reputation and suburban amenities.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 675%

School 75% · District 82% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 782%

School 82% · District 81% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 873%

School 73% · District 77% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▲ 22 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 678%

School 78% · District 83% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 778%

School 78% · District 78% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 25 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 75% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Science

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 70% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 83% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolElmbrook School District, 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income82%42 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income46%Higher-income81%35 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income39%Higher-income72%33 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income40%Higher-income79%39 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income58%Higher-income84%26 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income39%Higher-income76%37 pp gap