Brown Deer Middle/high, Brown Deer WI

Original Research by School Decision on Brown Deer Middle/high

Brown Deer Middle/High is the only public school in the village serving grades six through twelve. It combines what is typically a middle school and a high school into a single building on N. 60th Street, sharing a campus with the district’s elementary school. The school is part of the Brown Deer School District, which matches the village boundaries as a result of an earlier court settlement with Milwaukee. This arrangement means every K-12 student in Brown Deer attends a school within the village itself.

The community is a primarily residential suburb of Milwaukee, considered part of the North Shore communities. The area was rural through the mid-1940s, then saw post-war development turn farms into suburban neighborhoods. Today, a six-lane state highway divides the village, and commercial activity is concentrated along this corridor rather than in a traditional downtown. The Milwaukee River and Brown Deer Park form the eastern edge. The village’s population has remained stable over recent decades near its current size, with modest fluctuation between censuses and no major new housing developments identified in available records.

Brown Deer Middle/High enrolls a student body that is diverse. The largest group of students is Black, followed by white and Asian students in roughly similar proportions, with smaller shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. A significant share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Specific counts of students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the data reviewed; a parent may want to ask the school directly about these support areas.

The school’s state assessment results show a range of proficiency rates across subjects and grades. In math, proficiency rises from a lower rate in sixth grade to a rate around the midpoint among tested grades in seventh and eighth grade. English language arts follows a similar pattern, with the eighth-grade rate at roughly half of students meeting the bar. Science proficiency in eighth grade is lower, and social studies proficiency in eighth grade sits between these subjects. When compared to other districts in Milwaukee County, the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades falls below the midpoint of the county’s districts. A four-year graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data were not available, so a broader picture of student outcomes is incomplete.

The school building houses all seven grade levels together, which creates a setting where students transition from middle grades to high school in the same facility. The lack of separate middle and high school buildings may appeal to families who want a continuous environment through those years. The district has not had any major publicly reported changes in recent years regarding referendums, curriculum shifts, or strategic plans; the available information noted general district operations without specific lasting parent-relevant updates.

For a family considering this school, the academic performance data suggests that student results on state tests are mixed, with a notable share of students not yet reaching the proficiency threshold in several subjects. The village offers a quiet suburban setting with access to Milwaukee, but the school serves as the single public option for all middle and high school students in the area, so there is limited choice within the district for these grades. The school’s enrollment is substantial enough to offer a range of course sections and extracurriculars, though specific program offerings were not detailed in the data available. A parent may wish to follow up with the school about special education services, English learner support, and the range of courses and activities offered across the middle and high school grades.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=95%Cohort of 118 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

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 629%

School 29% · District 29%

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

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 50%

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 27 pts above county median

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 52%

even with state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 42%

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

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 50%

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

Science

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▲ 10 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 44%

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

This schoolBrown Deer 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-income33%Higher-income49%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income32%Higher-income60%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income56%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income21%Higher-income40%19 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income41%Higher-income64%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income58%10 pp gap