Carmen Mid/hi Northwest Campus, Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on Carmen Mid/hi Northwest Campus

Carmen Mid/Hi Northwest Campus is a charter school serving grades six through twelve in Milwaukee. As a charter school, it operates with its own governance structure, separate from the direct administration of Milwaukee Public Schools, while remaining a public school open to any student in the city. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Black, with small shares of Hispanic, white, and Asian students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the economic context of the families the school serves.

The school’s academic performance on Wisconsin’s state assessments is low. In math, proficiency rates across grades six, seven, and eight are in the single digits to the low teens. In English language arts, rates are somewhat higher but remain well below state averages, ranging from single digits in sixth grade to roughly a quarter of students in eighth grade. Eighth-grade science proficiency is similar, and social studies, while the strongest subject, still shows that a majority of students are not meeting the proficient bar. When placed among all school districts in Milwaukee County, Carmen Northwest Campus’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile. A parent considering this school should expect that their child may need significant academic support to reach grade-level benchmarks, and it would be reasonable to ask the school directly what interventions and academic supports are in place.

Because the school serves grades six through twelve, there is state testing data for its middle school grades. High school state test results were not available in this data set, and neither was a graduation rate. The absence of a graduation rate often reflects the fact that a school may not yet have a cohort that has completed four years, or the data may not have been reported; a parent interested in high school outcomes should ask the school for its graduation and college-going records.

The surrounding community is Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s largest city and an economic anchor for the region. The city has a diversified economy built around manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and its lakefront. It is home to several major corporate headquarters, cultural institutions like the Milwaukee Art Museum and Summerfest, and multiple universities. The city is also one of the most racially segregated in the country, a legacy of historical policies, and has experienced population decline over successive censuses. Housing in the school’s area is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, with home values and rents below those broader averages. The Milwaukee County housing market has been active, with a moderate number of listings and a slight increase in median home prices.

At the district level, the parent Milwaukee Public Schools is navigating significant changes. Voters recently approved a large referendum to fund accessibility upgrades in school 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 aid, which may lead to program or staffing reductions. These district-level dynamics may affect all schools in Milwaukee, including charter schools that coordinate with the district on facilities or transportation. A family should be aware that the broader Milwaukee school landscape is one of financial pressure and physical plant investment, and that charter schools can be affected by district-level budget decisions even where they are independently run.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

80-84%Cohort of 74 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

528 schools plotted. 25 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 64%

School 4% · District 18% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 50 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 78%

School 8% · District 22% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 46 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 19% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 24% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 714%

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

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 29% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 823%

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

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

Social studies

Grade 840%

School 40% · District 36% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▲ 2 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.