Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary, Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary

Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary is a regular public school within Milwaukee School District that serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. Its defining feature is the one announced in its name: instruction is delivered in American Sign Language, and the school is designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing students as well as hearing students who want to learn in a bilingual, ASL-English environment. The school is located in a residential area on the northwest side of Milwaukee, a city that is Wisconsin’s largest, shaped by a history of manufacturing, a lakefront economy, and deep racial segregation rooted in early-20th-century redlining.

The student body is small for a school that spans eight grade levels. The vast majority of students come from low-income households, with a very high share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially, the student population is predominantly Black, with small shares of Hispanic, multiracial, and Asian students and very few white students. This composition reflects the school’s location within Milwaukee’s segregated landscape. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, which is a notable gap given the school’s mission around deaf education; a parent may want to ask the school directly how it serves students with additional support needs beyond language access.

On state assessments in the most recent testing year, Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary’s proficiency rates in math and English language arts were low across nearly every tested grade level. In third through seventh grade, the share of students scoring proficient or above in math was very small, and in fourth grade, no student reached that threshold. Eighth grade math was a relative bright spot, though still well below typical district and state averages. Reading and English language arts results followed a similar pattern, with the highest proficiency seen in eighth grade. Science and social studies performance was also low. When compared against other Milwaukee County districts on an overall proficiency index, this school lands in the bottom quartile. The school has no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.

The school environment data is thin. No information is available on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, staffing ratios, or course access. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status is not reported. A parent evaluating this school will want to fill in those blanks with a direct conversation, but the school’s small size and specialized mission mean that standard comparison metrics may tell only part of the story.

Milwaukee School District, which oversees this school, is in a period of financial and operational pressure. A recent voter-approved referendum will fund accessibility upgrades to aging buildings, while the district simultaneously projects a budget deficit and considers program and staffing cuts. A long-range facilities plan may lead to school closures or consolidations. Families choosing Milwaukee Sign Language Elementary should be aware that the district context includes uncertainty about school boundaries and resources in the years ahead.

Housing in the school’s immediate zip code is modestly priced relative to the city and state, with home values below the statewide benchmark. The Milwaukee County housing market shows a modest increase in active listings and a steady median listing price, suggesting a market that is not overheated but has limited inventory.

For a family considering this school, the primary question is fit. This is not a general-neighborhood elementary. It is a language-immersion program with a specific mission for deaf and hard-of-hearing students and for hearing families who want an ASL-English bilingual education. The academic proficiency numbers are low by conventional measures, and the district is in a financially strained period. On the other hand, the school exists precisely because traditional delivery models do not work for all learners, and for a student who communicates in ASL or whose family values that bilingual pathway, this school is a deliberate choice that standard test scores do not capture. The gaps in reported data around staffing, discipline, and support services mean that a family should seek a direct visit and conversation with school leadership to understand the daily experience.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 33%

School 3% · District 24% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 53 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Grade 40%

School 0% · District 19% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 54 pts below state median · ▼ 24 pts below county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 18% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 66%

School 6% · District 18% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 47 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 22% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 19% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 27 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 33%

School 3% · District 22% · ▼ 19 pts below district

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

Grade 43%

School 3% · District 22% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 49 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 55%

School 5% · District 21% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 45 pts below state median · ▼ 22 pts below county median

Grade 66%

School 6% · District 24% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 79%

School 9% · District 28% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 44 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 824%

School 24% · District 29% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 43%

School 3% · District 20% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 22% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 46%

School 6% · District 32% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 59 pts below state median · ▼ 33 pts below county median

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 36% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 43 pts below state median · ▼ 16 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.