Pilgrim Park Middle, Elm Grove WI

Original Research by School Decision on Pilgrim Park Middle

Pilgrim Park Middle serves sixth through eighth grade in Elm Grove, part of the Elmbrook School District. The school sits in a village that is primarily residential, with large-lot zoning that keeps housing spread out and the built environment low-density. Watertown Plank Road is the main commercial strip, and civic life centers on Village Park, where the library, village hall, and recreation facilities are clustered. The village has a neighborly atmosphere and a stable population; growth is constrained by its small area and zoning rules. High school students attend Brookfield East or Brookfield Central in neighboring Brookfield.

The enrollment is substantial for a middle school serving three grades. The student body is predominantly white, with Asian students forming the next largest group, followed by smaller shares of Hispanic, two or more races, Black, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available.

State test results show strong academic performance. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above exceeded the state benchmark across all three grades. The same pattern held in English language arts, where sixth-grade results were particularly high. In eighth-grade science, the proficiency rate was a bit lower but still reached a solid level. Social studies proficiency in eighth grade was strong. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Waukesha County. The district itself is publicly reported as consistently ranked among the top five in Wisconsin on standardized achievement data.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available.

This is a school where state assessment results are well above average across the board. A parent looking at the numbers would see a pattern of high proficiency in math and English language arts, with eighth-grade science a relative soft spot but still well above the level at many schools. The community context is a low-density, affluent suburb with stable housing values and limited new development. Street life is concentrated on one commercial corridor and around the village park, not a dense walkable grid. The school itself is within the village, while high schools are on separate campuses in the next municipality, which is a characteristic for families to consider as they plan ahead.

The district completed pool renovations at both high schools a few years ago, using funds from an earlier referendum, an infrastructure upgrade that serves students and the community. There were no major recent curriculum overhauls or new referendums identified in publicly reported sources.

For a family weighing this school, the picture is one of consistently strong academic results in a stable, well-resourced suburban setting. The student body is not highly diverse, and the share of students from lower-income households is modest. The village itself is built out and not growing rapidly, so the character of the community is unlikely to change dramatically in the near term. The school’s performance profile is clear and positive, and a parent who values high test scores and a traditional middle school experience within a top-ranked district would find this a straightforward fit.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 688%

School 88% · District 82% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 781%

School 81% · District 81%

▲ 27 pts above state median · even with county median

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 77% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 688%

School 88% · District 83% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 779%

School 79% · District 78% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 879%

School 79% · District 75% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Science

Grade 871%

School 71% · District 70% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 885%

School 85% · District 83% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above 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-income77%Higher-income89%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income68%Higher-income80%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income55%Higher-income82%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income71%Higher-income89%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income69%Higher-income82%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income58%Higher-income84%26 pp gap