Milwaukee Parkside School, Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on Milwaukee Parkside School

Milwaukee Parkside School serves students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade as a regular public school in the Milwaukee School District, located on the city's south side near the shores of Lake Michigan. The school's enrollment spans a full pre-K through middle school range, making it a single-building option for families who want their children to remain in one community from early childhood through the end of middle school.

The student body reflects Milwaukee's diverse population. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by White students, Black students, Asian students, and students who identify with two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is situated in a city that has experienced a long population decline but remains Wisconsin's largest urban center, with a mix of legacy manufacturing, a growing healthcare and financial sector, and culturally distinct neighborhoods that trace settlement patterns from German and Polish immigration through African American and Hispanic communities.

On state assessments administered through the Wisconsin Forward exam, Milwaukee Parkside shows a pattern where proficiency rates vary noticeably by grade level and subject. In English language arts, results in third, seventh, and eighth grade land in a range where roughly half of students met the proficiency threshold, while fourth, fifth, and sixth grade results are lower. In math, seventh and eighth grade results are stronger, with more than two out of five students proficient, while third through sixth grade math proficiency is lower. In science, eighth grade performance is higher than fourth grade. Social studies results at both fourth and eighth grade are higher than the school's math and English language arts averages. Overall, the school's combined proficiency index across tested subjects and grades sits below the midpoint when compared with other districts in Milwaukee County. The school has no graduation rate to report, as it does not serve high school grades.

The school's programmatic offerings beyond the core academic schedule were not available in the data reviewed. Families looking for specific details on electives, arts, music, physical education, foreign language, or after-school activities would need to check with the school directly. Similarly, information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, and special education or English learner populations was not provided.

The parent district, Milwaukee Public Schools, is undertaking several changes that may affect Milwaukee Parkside families. Voters approved a referendum to fund accessibility upgrades across district buildings under a long-range facilities plan. The district is also projecting a budget deficit driven by declining enrollment and the end of federal pandemic relief funding, and is considering program and staffing cuts. A reorganization that reduces regional offices is taking effect, and the district may pursue school closures or consolidations as it adjusts its footprint.

For a parent or resident considering Milwaukee Parkside, the school offers the practical benefit of a single K-8 building in a south Milwaukee neighborhood. The testing data shows a mixed picture, with some grades performing relatively better in English language arts and science while math results across several elementary grades are weaker. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks, particularly in the middle elementary years, and what enrichment programs are available. The broader district context of budget pressures and potential building-level changes is also worth monitoring, as it could affect programming or school assignments down the line.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 24% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 426%

School 26% · District 19% · ▲ 7 pts above district

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

Grade 523%

School 23% · District 18% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▼ 28 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 625%

School 25% · District 18% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▼ 28 pts below state median · ▲ 8 pts above county median

Grade 742%

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

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

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 19% · ▲ 22 pts above district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 351%

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

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

Grade 432%

School 32% · District 22% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 21% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 636%

School 36% · District 24% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▲ 12 pts above county median

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 28% · ▲ 23 pts above district

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

Grade 851%

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

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

Science

Grade 424%

School 24% · District 20% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 22% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 32 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 448%

School 48% · District 32% · ▲ 17 pts above district

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

Grade 869%

School 69% · District 36% · ▲ 33 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 32 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-income42%Higher-income77%36 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income61%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income22%Higher-income48%26 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income23%Higher-income70%46 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income46%Higher-income65%19 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income41%Higher-income71%30 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income31%Higher-income50%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income19%Higher-income56%36 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income15%Higher-income48%33 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income16%Higher-income52%37 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income35%Higher-income60%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income62%32 pp gap