Milwaukee College Preparatory School -- 38th Street, Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on Milwaukee College Preparatory School -- 38th Street

Milwaukee College Preparatory School -- 38th Street is a charter school in the Milwaukee School District serving students from four-year-old kindergarten through eighth grade. It sits in the 53210 ZIP code, a part of Wisconsin's largest city where the housing market reflects a mix of older homes and modest values. A home in the immediate area is priced well below the typical Milwaukee County listing, though it should be noted that the county's overall market remains active with a moderate stock of homes. Rents in the area sit at a level that is considerably more affordable than a mortgage on a median-priced home would be, a consideration for families deciding between renting and buying in this part of the city.

The school is a regular public school operating under a charter, a governance structure that grants it some degree of autonomy from the district in exchange for meeting specific performance goals. It draws a student body of substantial size for a PK-8 school. The population is almost entirely Black or African American, with a small share of Hispanic students and a trace of students identifying as two or more races; there were no White or Asian students reported in the recent enrollment data. A large majority of students come from households experiencing low income, as measured by the share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that positions the school in a high-need context. Information on the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners was not available, so a parent looking for detail on those supports would need to seek it from the school directly.

The school's performance on Wisconsin's Forward state assessments shows a pattern that deserves close attention. In English language arts, the percentage of students reaching proficiency in third grade dipped below one third and fell further in fourth grade. Modest improvement appeared in sixth grade, and by eighth grade proficiency was higher than at any other tested grade, though still below half the cohort. In mathematics, the picture is similar but with lower peaks. Third and fourth grade proficiency was in the low-to-mid thirty-percent range; fifth grade slipped slightly; sixth grade dropped to a level below one in five students; seventh and eighth grade both hovered around one quarter. Science results, tested in fourth and eighth grades, were at the lower end of the school's own range, with eighth grade science proficiency in the single digits. Social studies results, also tested at those same two grades, showed a slightly higher outcome in eighth grade than in fourth. When compared across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter among all districts in Milwaukee County. This is not a context where a parent would read these results and see an academic program broadly meeting the statewide bar. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to evaluate.

The Milwaukee School District, the parent entity, is in a period of financial and structural strain. Voters approved a large referendum in the spring of 2024 to pay for school building accessibility projects, a tax-backed commitment that will extend many years. The district is also managing a significant projected budget deficit, driven by declining enrollment and the expiration of federal pandemic relief, and is considering staffing and program cuts. A long-range facilities plan that includes potential school closures or consolidations is in play. For families at a charter school like Milwaukee College Preparatory, the relationship with the district is indirect. The charter confers some operational independence, but the financial health of the district and any broader reorganization could still affect facilities decisions or the terms of the charter itself. These are factors worth monitoring for anyone with a child enrolled here or considering it.

Milwaukee itself is a city of substantial scale and complexity. It has a large and diversified economy anchored by Fortune 500 headquarters, healthcare systems, and a legacy of manufacturing, yet it also has sharp economic disparities and a long record of population decline. The school is located in one of the city's many residential neighborhoods shaped by these crosscurrents. A family choosing this school is choosing a charter setting with a clear mission focus on college preparation, serving a predominantly Black student body from a low-income catchment, in a district whose finances and physical infrastructure are under strain. The academic data available to the public shows a school that is struggling to move large numbers of students to the proficient level on state assessments, especially in math and science. A parent considering this school will want to have direct conversations with the staff about what academic supports and interventions are in place, how the school defines college readiness for its middle school graduates, and what the path looks like for students once they leave for high school.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 24% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 19% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 18% · ▲ 13 pts above district

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

Grade 618%

School 18% · District 18% · ▲ 1 pts above district

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

Grade 725%

School 25% · District 22% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

Grade 822%

School 22% · District 19% · ▲ 3 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 22% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 423%

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

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

Grade 528%

School 28% · District 21% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▼ 23 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 24% · ▲ 8 pts above district

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

Grade 727%

School 27% · District 28% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 29% · ▲ 10 pts above district

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

Science

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 20% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 89%

School 9% · District 22% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Social studies

Grade 419%

School 19% · District 32% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Grade 830%

School 30% · District 36% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 35 pts below state median · ▼ 8 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 8Lower-income41%Higher-income33%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income19%Higher-income33%14 pp gap