Kilbourn Elementary, Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on Kilbourn Elementary

Kilbourn Elementary is a regular public school in the Milwaukee School District serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is located in a residential area on the city’s northwest side, within Milwaukee’s larger urban fabric. The city itself is Wisconsin’s largest, a Great Lakes port and manufacturing center that now hosts major corporate headquarters in finance, technology, and energy. Milwaukee’s population has declined over several decades, and the district is projecting a budget deficit for the upcoming school year, a factor families may want to monitor for potential effects on programs and staffing.

The school’s enrollment is concentrated in the early grades, with a notably large pre-kindergarten class and smaller cohorts as grade levels rise. The student body is predominantly Black, with a small share of Hispanic students and very small numbers of white, Asian, and multiracial students. A very large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context relative to the national picture. Data on the share of students with individualized education programs or English learner status was not available.

On state assessments, the picture is mixed and uneven by grade. In the tested grades of third through fifth, proficiency rates in math and English language arts show a pronounced dip in the upper elementary years. Third-grade proficiency in both subjects was low, fourth-grade results were markedly stronger, and fifth-grade results fell back to very low levels. Fourth-grade science and social studies proficiency rates were solidly in the middle range. A parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how curriculum, instruction, and student supports vary across grade levels. Participation rates on the tests were high, so the results reflect nearly all enrolled students.

When compared with other districts in Milwaukee County, Kilbourn’s overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint of the county-wide range. Because Kilbourn does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also not available.

No data on programs, course access, discipline, staffing, or attendance was provided, so this narrative cannot speak to after-school offerings, enrichment, staff qualifications, or student engagement patterns. The district brief notes a recent voter-approved referendum to fund accessibility improvements in school buildings and a long-range facilities plan that could involve school closures or consolidations. Families considering Kilbourn may want to ask the school directly about its own building condition and its place in the district’s evolving facilities map.

Housing in the surrounding area is below the national median home value, and rents are moderate relative to income, consistent with Milwaukee’s overall affordability compared with other major U.S. cities. The county housing market has been active with a slight uptick in listings and a moderate pace of sales.

For a family, Kilbourn offers a neighborhood elementary school in a large urban district with a high-needs student population. The academic results vary sharply by grade, which is a pattern worth exploring directly with the school. The absence of data on special education services, English learner supports, and enrichment programs means a parent should seek that information from the school office or a current family to get a fuller picture.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 37%

School 7% · District 24% · ▼ 17 pts below district

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

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 19% · ▲ 31 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▲ 26 pts above county median

Grade 54%

School 4% · District 18% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 310%

School 10% · District 22% · ▼ 12 pts below district

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

Grade 442%

School 42% · District 22% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 21% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 20% · ▲ 38 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 32% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▲ 20 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.