Oak Creek East Middle, Oak Creek WI

Original Research by School Decision on Oak Creek East Middle

Oak Creek East Middle serves as one of two middle schools in the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint School District, drawing from a rapidly growing suburban community south of Milwaukee. The school educates roughly the middle grades, sixth through eighth, and its enrollment is large enough to offer a full range of classes and activities. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share of Hispanic students and smaller groups of Asian, multiracial, and Black students. About a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, which is a lower rate than the state average and signals a relatively more affluent family base overall, though the school clearly serves a range of incomes. Information on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported in the available data, so a parent who needs those supports should ask the school directly.

On the Wisconsin Forward assessments, Oak Creek East Middle posts results that are solid across both math and English language arts, with some variation by grade. In math, the share of students scoring proficient or above is well above the state level in each grade, with eighth grade showing the strongest performance. English language arts follows a similar pattern: proficiency rates are comfortably above the state average, though in seventh grade they dip slightly compared to sixth and eighth. Science, tested only in eighth grade, shows a bit more than half of students meeting proficiency, which is a softer spot relative to the school’s other subjects. Social studies in eighth grade posts a higher proficiency rate, comparable to the school’s math and ELA results. Participation rates are very high, so the scores reflect nearly the whole tested population. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among districts in Milwaukee County, a strong position that indicates it performs better than most of its county peers.

The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. It does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was also not available. That last gap is worth noting: a parent may want to check with the school about attendance patterns, especially since middle school is a time when disengagement can emerge.

Oak Creek itself is one of the fastest-growing cities in Wisconsin, with substantial residential and commercial development along the I-94 corridor. The built environment is largely suburban and car-dependent, though the new Drexel Town Square provides a walkable civic center with city hall, a library, and a public park. Major employers include large distribution centers and retail alongside a community hospital, giving the area an economic base that supports steady housing demand. Home values in the zip code are above those for the state and the nation, and the local housing market has seen both rising active listings and a slight softening in rents. The county market as a whole shows homes selling after about a month on the market, with modest price growth. For families moving to the area, the combination of above-average test performance and a growing suburban job base makes Oak Creek East Middle a school worth considering, especially for those already oriented toward the southeastern Milwaukee suburbs. The district itself has not reported any major recent changes that would alter a family’s decision.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 666%

School 66% · District 63% · ▲ 4 pts above district

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

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 65% · ▼ 2 pts below district

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

Grade 872%

School 72% · District 69% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median · ▲ 53 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 63% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

Grade 759%

School 59% · District 60% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 65% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Science

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 54% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 35 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 71% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

This schoolOak Creek-Franklin Joint 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-income35%Higher-income72%37 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income32%Higher-income81%49 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income60%Higher-income74%14 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income57%Higher-income62%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income43%Higher-income64%21 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income56%Higher-income65%9 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income55%Higher-income74%19 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income25%Higher-income78%53 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income44%Higher-income82%38 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income71%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income50%Higher-income67%17 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income66%Higher-income74%7 pp gap