Highland Community School, Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on Highland Community School

Highland Community School is a public charter school in Milwaukee serving students from four-year-old kindergarten through eighth grade. As a charter school within the Milwaukee School District, it operates with its own governance while remaining part of the city's public school system. The school sits in a residential area near downtown Milwaukee, in a city that is Wisconsin's largest urban center and a mix of industrial legacy, lakefront culture, and neighborhoods shaped by immigration and racial segregation.

Academically, the school shows a notable upward pattern as students progress. In the early elementary grades, reading and math proficiency rates are around the middle range for the state. By the upper grades, the picture strengthens considerably. In the tested middle school grades, English language arts proficiency rates reach a strong level, and social studies proficiency in eighth grade is particularly high. Math proficiency also improves across grade levels, with eighth-grade math exceeding half of students meeting state standards. Science results follow a similar improvement from fourth to eighth grade. The school's overall proficiency index across all tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint when compared to other districts in Milwaukee County. Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report.

The student body is diverse. Roughly equal shares of students are white and Black, together making up the large majority, with smaller but meaningful shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races, and very small numbers of Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islander students. Just under half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, meaning the school serves a mix of income levels rather than a concentrated low-income population. Data on special education and English learner enrollment were not available in the source material.

Housing in the surrounding area reflects typical affordability for a dense urban environment in the Midwest. Home values in the zip code are modest relative to national medians, and the rental market is similarly priced. Milwaukee County's housing market shows a recent increase in active listings and a slight rise in median listing prices, with homes typically spending about a month on the market before going under contract. The broader city has seen population decline over decades, but downtown and riverfront areas have experienced reinvestment.

The parent district, Milwaukee Public Schools, is navigating several changes that could affect families across the city. A voter-approved referendum is funding accessibility upgrades to aging school buildings, and the district is implementing a long-range facilities plan that may lead to school closures or consolidations as it adjusts to declining enrollment. A projected budget deficit for the 2025-26 school year, driven by expiring federal COVID relief funds and enrollment drops, has the district considering program cuts and staffing reductions. As a charter school, Highland Community School may have some flexibility in how it responds to district-wide pressures, but it remains tied to the system's funding and oversight.

This school may fit families who want a neighborhood charter with a track record that improves in the middle grades, a racially and economically mixed peer environment, and a setting within Milwaukee's urban fabric. Parents who value a school that serves a full K-8 continuum without requiring a transition to a separate middle school may find that appealing. Those concerned about the district's budget and facilities changes would want to ask the school directly how those pressures are affecting class sizes, program offerings, and staffing at this specific building.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 342%

School 42% · District 24% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 19% · ▲ 26 pts above district

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

Grade 540%

School 40% · District 18% · ▲ 22 pts above district

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

Grade 644%

School 44% · District 18% · ▲ 27 pts above district

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

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 22% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▼ 3 pts below state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 858%

School 58% · District 19% · ▲ 39 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 38 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 447%

School 47% · District 22% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▼ 5 pts below state median · ▲ 22 pts above county median

Grade 557%

School 57% · District 21% · ▲ 35 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 29 pts above county median

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 24% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 49 pts above county median

Grade 780%

School 80% · District 28% · ▲ 51 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 52 pts above county median

Grade 881%

School 81% · District 29% · ▲ 52 pts above district

▲ 29 pts above state median · ▲ 52 pts above county median

Science

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 20% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 31 pts above county median

Grade 862%

School 62% · District 22% · ▲ 39 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 32% · ▲ 31 pts above district

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

Grade 885%

School 85% · District 36% · ▲ 49 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median · ▲ 47 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-income37%Higher-income63%26 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income21%Higher-income63%41 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income27%Higher-income74%46 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income50%Higher-income86%36 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income75%Higher-income83%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income70%Higher-income88%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income32%Higher-income53%21 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income7%Higher-income67%60 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income18%Higher-income53%34 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income55%26 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income57%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income40%Higher-income69%29 pp gap