Burbank Elementary, Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on Burbank Elementary

Burbank Elementary is a regular public school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It operates as part of the Milwaukee School District, the state’s largest district, and sits in a neighborhood on the city’s west side. The school’s enrollment is moderate for a PK-8 building, and the student body reflects Milwaukee’s racial and ethnic diversity. A large majority of students come from low-income households, placing the school among those with high economic need in the district.

State assessment results from the most recent school year show that across tested subjects and grade levels, the share of students scoring at the proficient or above level is modest. In math, performance is consistently low in grades three through eight. In English Language Arts, the pattern is similar, with slightly higher rates in the upper middle grades. Science and social studies results follow the same general range. Compared with other school districts in Milwaukee County, the school’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile. There is no high school graduation rate to report because the school does not serve grades nine through twelve. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source material, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the specific supports offered for these populations.

Milwaukee is Wisconsin’s largest city, a lakefront port and manufacturing hub on Lake Michigan that has diversified into finance, health care, and technology. Several Fortune 500 companies are headquartered here, and the city has a deep cultural identity rooted in its German, Polish, African American, and Hispanic communities. Yet Milwaukee also remains one of the most racially segregated cities in the country, with significant economic disparities between neighborhoods. Housing values in the area around the school are near the middle range for the city, and the rental market has seen steady demand. The countywide housing market shows active listings and pending sales that have risen recently, but affordability compared with national benchmarks is relatively favorable.

The Milwaukee School District is in a period of financial and facilities transition. Voters approved a sizable referendum to fund accessibility projects across school buildings, signaling a long-term investment in physical infrastructure. At the same time, the district is projecting a budget deficit for the coming school year, driven by declining enrollment and the end of federal pandemic relief funds. Officials are considering program and staffing cuts that could affect class sizes and services. The district is also implementing a long-range facilities plan that may lead to school closures or consolidations as it adjusts to excess capacity. Families should be aware that school assignments and program availability could shift in the next few years.

Burbank Elementary is a neighborhood school with a high-poverty, diverse student population and test results that are low relative to other districts in the county. For a family weighing this school, the academic picture is one area to explore further with the school itself, particularly around how instruction and intervention are structured. The surrounding city offers substantial cultural and economic assets, while the district’s financial and facilities planning introduces some uncertainty about future conditions.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 312%

School 12% · District 24% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 19% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 48 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 56%

School 6% · District 18% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 69%

School 9% · District 18% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 714%

School 14% · District 22% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 87%

School 7% · District 19% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 12 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 34%

School 4% · District 22% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 48%

School 8% · District 22% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

Grade 57%

School 7% · District 21% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 613%

School 13% · District 24% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 40 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 28% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 29% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 20% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 22% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 410%

School 10% · District 32% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 55 pts below state median · ▼ 29 pts below county median

Grade 833%

School 33% · District 36% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 31 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolMilwaukee 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 3Lower-income5%Higher-income0%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income9%Higher-income0%9 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income11%5 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income30%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income25%1 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income21%Higher-income40%19 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income14%Higher-income0%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income4%Higher-income17%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income7%Higher-income0%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income7%Higher-income20%13 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income16%Higher-income0%16 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income6%Higher-income10%4 pp gap