Bayside Middle, Milwaukee WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Bayside Middle

Bayside Middle School serves grades five through eight in Milwaukee, part of the Fox Point J2 School District. The school sits in the Fox Point neighborhood, a near-north suburb of the city for which the district is named, though the school’s Milwaukee address reflects the city boundaries that cross the area. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment is small enough that each grade forms a single community. The student body is majority white, with significant representation from students who identify as two or more races, along with Asian, Black, and Hispanic students. A small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating generally higher household resources relative to many schools in the county.

This school’s academic performance is a clear strength. On the Wisconsin Forward exam, proficiency rates across math, English language arts, science, and social studies are high, with most grade-level results in the mid-eighties to low nineties. Math proficiency is strong in fifth, sixth, and seventh grades and remains robust in eighth grade. English language arts results are similarly strong, with seventh grade reaching the highest share of students meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark. Science and social studies, tested in eighth grade, also show high rates. Participation rates are near universal, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students. Overall proficiency across tested subjects places this school in the top quartile relative to other districts in Milwaukee County, a comparison set that includes both suburban and urban districts. A parent can reasonably expect that a typical student here is performing well above state averages.

Because Bayside Middle serves only grades five through eight, there is no high school graduation rate to report, which is simply a function of the grade band rather than a missing indicator. Chronic absenteeism data is also unavailable for this entry, so a family interested in attendance patterns may want to ask the school directly.

The facilities context is notable. In a publicly reported 2022 referendum, voters approved a capital investment that funded a completely new Bayside Middle School building, which opened in fall 2024. That same referendum also paid for major renovations at Stormonth Elementary, the district’s other school. The new building includes upgraded learning spaces, mechanical systems, ADA accessibility, and improved safety and security. This is a generational investment in the physical environment of the school. A family walking into Bayside Middle today will find a newly constructed facility that was designed specifically for its current program.

The housing market in this zip code reflects the overall wealth of the area: home values are well above the state median. The neighborhood is largely residential, with a mix of single-family homes and some multifamily units. Rents are elevated relative to national averages, making this a comparatively expensive area to live. The broader Milwaukee housing market has seen moderate price growth and a relatively low supply of homes, conditions that maintain upward pressure on values.

Milwaukee itself is Wisconsin’s largest city, a historic manufacturing and port city that now hosts five Fortune 500 headquarters and a range of healthcare, financial, and industrial employers. The city remains among the most racially segregated in the country, a legacy of redlining. Its population has declined at every census count, though the metro area economy has continued to grow. Downtown and riverfront areas have seen redevelopment and a resurgence of street life, while many outlying neighborhoods are car-dependent. Cultural anchors include the Milwaukee Art Museum, the lakefront Summerfest grounds, and the Milwaukee Riverwalk. Families coming from outside the area should know that Bayside Middle draws from a relatively affluent suburb within the city limits, and the experience of a student at this school may differ substantially from that of a student attending a school in a different part of Milwaukee.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 592%

School 92% · District 92%

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 69 pts above county median

Grade 688%

School 88% · District 88%

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 71 pts above county median

Grade 793%

School 93% · District 93%

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 70 pts above county median

Grade 884%

School 84% · District 84%

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 65 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 587%

School 87% · District 87%

▲ 37 pts above state median · ▲ 60 pts above county median

Grade 689%

School 89% · District 89%

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▲ 66 pts above county median

Grade 793%

School 93% · District 93%

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 66 pts above county median

Grade 885%

School 85% · District 85%

▲ 33 pts above state median · ▲ 57 pts above county median

Science

Grade 880%

School 80% · District 80%

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 60 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 885%

School 85% · District 85%

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 48 pts above county median

This schoolFox Point J2 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 5Lower-income63%Higher-income90%27 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income88%Higher-income89%2 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income90%Higher-income93%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income67%Higher-income87%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income50%Higher-income96%46 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income75%Higher-income89%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income90%Higher-income93%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income83%Higher-income84%1 pp gap