The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in Social studies. The lowest is 7% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Bruce Elementary
Bruce Elementary is a regular public school in Milwaukee, serving children from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits within the Milwaukee School District, the state’s largest district, which is currently navigating a period of financial strain and a long-range facilities plan that could lead to school closures or consolidations in the coming years. For a family considering Bruce, the immediate context is a district undergoing change and a city with deep economic divides.
The school’s student body is overwhelmingly Black, with a much smaller share of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students, and a very small number of white students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that this is a school serving a high-poverty population. Enrollment is modest for an elementary school, and class sizes across the grades are small. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent interested in those supports would need to ask the school directly.
Academically, the state test results for Bruce Elementary show that proficiency rates in math, English language arts, science, and social studies are well below the midpoint of what is typical across districts in Milwaukee County. The overall proficiency index places the school in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in the county. In reading and math, the share of students scoring proficient or above declines as grade level increases, a pattern that a family may want to explore further with the school. Fourth-grade science proficiency is especially low. The one area where a slightly larger share of students met the bar was fourth-grade social studies, though still below a majority. The school had full participation on the tests, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students in the tested grades.
Because Bruce serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. The school cannot be judged on that measure, and a family evaluating long-term outcomes for their child would need to look at the middle and high schools their child would eventually attend.
Milwaukee itself is a large, economically diverse city along Lake Michigan, home to several Fortune 500 companies and a range of cultural institutions. It is also one of the most racially segregated cities in the country, with high poverty concentrated in many neighborhoods. The area immediately around Bruce Elementary, in the 53224 zip code, has home values and rents that sit below the state median but have risen modestly over the past year, reflecting a market where housing is more accessible than in many parts of the city but still represents a significant cost for local families.
The district brief notes that Milwaukee Public Schools passed a referendum in 2024 to fund building accessibility projects, signaling a long-term investment in aging school infrastructure. At the same time, the district is projecting a budget deficit and considering program cuts and staffing reductions, which could affect class sizes and available services at schools like Bruce. Families should be aware that the district’s facilities plan may lead to attendance boundary changes or even school closures in the future.
Bruce Elementary presents as a neighborhood school serving a predominantly low-income community, with small class sizes but academic outcomes that are weak compared with most other elementary schools in Milwaukee County. A parent looking at this school may want to visit, talk to the principal about how the school supports students who are behind grade level, and ask about enrichment offerings and special education services, which are not detailed in the available data. The school’s role in its community and its small scale could be a good fit for a family seeking a close-knit setting, but the academic challenges are real and merit careful inquiry.
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