Golda Meir School, Milwaukee WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Golda Meir School

Golda Meir School sits within Milwaukee Public Schools as a regular public school serving grades three through twelve. It is a citywide school, meaning families across Milwaukee can seek admission, and it draws a student body that differs notably from the district’s typical neighborhood school profile. The school is named for the former Israeli prime minister who grew up in Milwaukee, and it operates with a college-preparatory mission that has long made it a distinctive option within the city’s public school landscape.

The student body is large for a single school, with enrollment spread across elementary, middle, and high school grades. The composition is predominantly Black, with a substantial share of White students and a smaller but present Hispanic population, along with Asian and multiracial students. Just over half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that is lower than Milwaukee Public Schools as a whole and signals a comparatively mixed-income student body. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the profile, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and the supports in place.

Academically, Golda Meir performs above the midpoint among Milwaukee County districts when measured across tested subjects and grades, a strong showing given the county includes many well-resourced suburban districts. The results have a clear pattern by grade level. In math, proficiency rates in the early elementary grades are moderate, with roughly half to three-fifths of third and fourth graders meeting the bar, then a dip in fifth grade before a sharp rise in sixth and seventh grades, where roughly two-thirds of students are proficient. Eighth grade math shows a retreat to below half proficient. English language arts follows a similar arc: third through fifth grades show proficiency rates around half, while sixth through eighth grades climb to roughly two-thirds or above. Science and social studies scores in fourth and eighth grades are solid, with eighth graders reaching roughly three-fifths proficient in science and more than three-quarters proficient in social studies. The dip in fifth-grade math and the unevenness in early middle school math are worth a conversation with the school to understand the curricular or transition challenges behind them.

Because Golda Meir covers grades three through twelve, a single graduation rate for the school was not available in the data. A parent with a high school student should confirm graduation and college-going rates directly. The school offers a full high school program on site, so students do not have to transition to a separate high school, which many families view as a stability advantage. The high school grades appear to serve roughly the same number of students as the middle school grades, suggesting retention is decent.

Housing in the school’s zip code is moderately priced by national standards, with home values and rents below the national benchmark. Milwaukee County’s housing market shows a median listing price that is affordable relative to many metro areas, and inventory has been rising, giving buyers more options. The city itself is Wisconsin’s largest, with a dense urban core, lakefront parks, major employers in finance and manufacturing, and a rich cultural scene anchored by museums, festivals, and riverfront development. The city’s population has been declining slowly, and the district faces budget pressure as enrollment shrinks and federal pandemic aid expires.

Milwaukee Public Schools as a whole is in a period of financial strain and facilities reorganization. Voters approved a referendum for accessibility upgrades to aging buildings, but the district is also projecting a budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year that could lead to program or staffing cuts. A reorganization of regional offices is underway. Families entering the district should expect some flux in operations and possibly in school assignments in coming years.

Golda Meir offers a consistent pathway from upper elementary through high school in a single building, with academic performance that is notably strong within the county. The middle school years, in particular, show a level of proficiency that rivals many suburban schools. The early elementary results are more mixed, and the fifth-grade dip suggests a transition point where some students struggle. For a family seeking a citywide magnet-style school with a college-prep orientation within Milwaukee Public Schools, Golda Meir is a well-established option. The open questions around special education, English learner services, and high school outcomes are gaps a prospective parent should fill with a direct visit and conversation with the school.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

85-89%Cohort of 106 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 360%

School 60% · District 24% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 19% · ▲ 25 pts above district

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

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 18% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Grade 667%

School 67% · District 18% · ▲ 50 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 50 pts above county median

Grade 768%

School 68% · District 22% · ▲ 46 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 45 pts above county median

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 19% · ▲ 29 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 350%

School 50% · District 22% · ▲ 28 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 22% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 548%

School 48% · District 21% · ▲ 26 pts above district

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

Grade 667%

School 67% · District 24% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 771%

School 71% · District 28% · ▲ 43 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 868%

School 68% · District 29% · ▲ 39 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 444%

School 44% · District 20% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 23 pts above county median

Grade 861%

School 61% · District 22% · ▲ 39 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 472%

School 72% · District 32% · ▲ 40 pts above district

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

Grade 878%

School 78% · District 36% · ▲ 42 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 41 pts above 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-income50%Higher-income50%0 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income44%Higher-income68%24 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income59%20 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income53%Higher-income83%30 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income58%Higher-income82%24 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income62%Higher-income73%11 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income54%Higher-income66%12 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income42%Higher-income48%6 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income13%Higher-income44%31 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income60%Higher-income76%16 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income52%Higher-income80%28 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income35%Higher-income58%23 pp gap