The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in Social studies. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Riverwest Elementary
Riverwest Elementary is a regular public school in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood, part of the Milwaukee School District. It serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade and enrolls just under three hundred children. The school sits inside one of the city’s most culturally distinct neighborhoods, the historic Riverwest area, which is a mix of older housing stock, local businesses, and a strong community identity. As a non-charter, non-magnet school, it operates as a neighborhood attendance zone school within a large urban district.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of Hispanic students, a smaller share identifying as two or more races, and a small number of white students. Nearly the entire student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, a rate that places the school in a high-poverty context. This level of economic need shapes every aspect of school life, from the resources available to the kinds of support families may require.
State testing results from the most recent school year show that proficiency rates across subjects are low. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced is in the single digits across grades three through five. In English language arts, proficiency is higher than in math but still falls below one in five students at every tested grade level. Science and social studies results for fourth grade are similarly low, with proficiency well under one in five students. When compared with other schools in Milwaukee County, Riverwest Elementary sits in the bottom quartile for overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. The school’s participation rates on state tests are high, meaning these results reflect nearly all enrolled students. Parents considering this school should understand that the academic attainment numbers are weak relative to both state averages and the surrounding county.
Because the school serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report. There is no available data on chronic absenteeism, so that metric cannot be assessed. The data also did not include counts of students receiving special education services or English learner support, two categories that often inform how a school staffs and programs its classrooms. Families who want to understand the level of specialized instruction available should ask the school directly about its special education and bilingual offerings.
The school’s location in a large urban district brings both resources and uncertainty. The Milwaukee School District recently passed a referendum to fund building accessibility projects under its Long Range Facilities Plan, which means a sustained investment in the physical condition of school buildings. At the same time, the district is projecting a significant budget deficit driven in part by declining enrollment and the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds. Program cuts and staffing reductions are under consideration, and the district’s facilities plan includes potential school closures or consolidations. These district-level pressures could affect Riverwest Elementary in coming years, though no specific change for this school has been announced.
The teaching staff and class sizes are not part of the available data, so there is no way to describe student-to-teacher ratios or teacher experience from this record. The school’s website and directory listing confirm it is a regular K-5 building, not a magnet or charter, which means enrollment is largely determined by neighborhood boundaries.
For a family, this is a neighborhood school serving a high-need population in a city with deep economic disparities. The academic results are low and would likely be a central concern for any parent evaluating options. A parent may want to visit the school, speak with the principal about academic supports, and ask about how the school addresses literacy and math instruction at the early grades. The context of a large district facing budget pressure means that the resources available today could shift, and families considering this school should be aware that district-level changes may affect class sizes or programming in the future. The Riverwest community itself has a strong sense of place and active local organizations, which can be a source of support for families engaged with the school.
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