Vieau Elementary, Milwaukee WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Vieau Elementary

Vieau Elementary sits in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood, a short walk from the confluence of the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic rivers that shaped the city’s industrial past. The school serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, a full K-8 span that lets families stay in one building through middle school rather than transitioning to a separate intermediate campus. It is a regular public school within the Milwaukee School District, the largest district in Wisconsin, which serves the city’s dense, diverse, and economically uneven population.

The student body is overwhelmingly Hispanic, making up the large majority of enrollment. White, Black, and Asian students each represent small shares. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context. This composition reflects the surrounding neighborhood, which has a deep Hispanic heritage and is one of Milwaukee’s culturally distinct areas. The school is not a charter or magnet, and no information was available on Title I status, though the income profile strongly suggests the school receives federal support for low-income students.

State assessment results from the most recent testing year show that student proficiency rates in math, English language arts, science, and social studies fall well below state averages across every tested grade. The proficiency index, which averages results across all subjects and grades, places Vieau in the bottom quartile among districts in Milwaukee County. In math, proficiency rates in grades three through eight sit mostly in the teens or low twenties. In English language arts, rates are lower still, with only a small fraction of students meeting the bar in most grades. Science and social studies results are somewhat higher but remain weak compared to county peers. A parent looking at these numbers should understand that the school serves a student population facing significant economic challenges, and that the academic attainment as measured by state tests is well below what many families would expect.

Because Vieau does not serve high school grades, there is no four-year graduation rate to report. Attendance and chronic absenteeism data were not available in the provided materials, so it is not possible to assess how consistently students are in class. No discipline, staffing, or course access data were included either, which makes it hard to evaluate school climate or the breadth of programming. A parent would want to ask the school directly about class sizes, teacher experience, tutoring supports, and how it addresses the academic gaps the test scores reveal.

Housing in the school’s ZIP code is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks. Home values and rents have increased in the recent period, consistent with trends across Milwaukee County, where the housing market has seen rising listing prices and a slight increase in days on market. The county market remains active, with new listings coming on regularly, but affordability is a concern for many families given that area incomes do not match coastal levels. The school’s location in an older, established part of the city means many families live in walkable blocks near the rivers and parks, though some outlying parts of the attendance zone are more car-dependent.

The Milwaukee School District is in the middle of a significant facilities and budget cycle. Voters approved a large referendum for school accessibility projects, which will fund ADA improvements across district buildings over many years. The district is also working through a long-range facilities plan that could lead to school closures or consolidations as it adjusts to declining enrollment. A projected budget deficit driven by enrollment loss and the end of federal pandemic aid may result in program cuts or staffing reductions. These district-level pressures could affect Vieau directly, and families should watch for announcements about programming, staffing, or attendance boundary adjustments in the coming years.

Vieau Elementary is a neighborhood school in a high-poverty, heavily Hispanic part of Milwaukee. Its test results are low compared to county peers, and the district faces financial and facilities challenges that add uncertainty. For a family committed to a neighborhood-focused K-8 experience in this part of the city, and willing to work closely with the school on academic support, it may be a fit. For a family seeking strong test scores or broader program offerings, the data suggest looking further.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 24% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 423%

School 23% · District 19% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 2 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 621%

School 21% · District 18% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 22% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Grade 816%

School 16% · District 19% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 312%

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

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

Grade 415%

School 15% · District 22% · ▼ 7 pts below district

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

Grade 510%

School 10% · District 21% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 24% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

Grade 715%

School 15% · District 28% · ▼ 14 pts below district

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

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 29%

▼ 23 pts below state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 20% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 22% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 33 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 834%

School 34% · District 36% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 30 pts below state median · ▼ 4 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 6Lower-income18%Higher-income14%4 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income14%Higher-income25%11 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income17%13 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income20%Higher-income29%8 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income15%Higher-income38%23 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income16%Higher-income17%1 pp gap