Whitman Middle, Wauwatosa WI - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Whitman Middle

Whitman Middle is a regular public school in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, serving grades six through eight as part of the Wauwatosa School District. It is one of two middle schools in a district that also includes nine elementary schools and two high schools, all spread across this inner-ring suburb just west of Milwaukee. The school’s enrollment places it at a size typical for a mid-level middle school, with a roughly even split across the three grade levels.

Academically, Whitman’s state assessment results from the most recent testing year show a clear pattern. In math, proficiency rates across grades six, seven, and eight cluster around the middle of the range, meaning roughly half of students met the state’s proficiency standard. English language arts results are similar, with proficiency rates falling just below or just above the halfway mark depending on the grade. Science, tested only in eighth grade, shows a somewhat higher proficiency rate, and social studies in eighth grade shows the strongest result, with a clear majority of students reaching the proficient level. Participation rates on all tests were very high, so the results are based on nearly the entire student body. Compared with other school districts across Milwaukee County, Whitman’s overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint of the county’s districts, a positive signal for a middle school serving a diverse population.

The student body reflects the broader demographics of Wauwatosa. White students make up just under half of the enrollment, Black students account for about three in ten, and the remainder is a mix of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the records reviewed, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations and the supports offered.

The school building is located on West Center Street in Wauwatosa, a city that balances older, village-scale residential neighborhoods with large commercial and retail corridors along the western highways. The city’s major employment anchor is the Milwaukee County Regional Medical Center, a cluster of hospitals and medical schools that draws a significant daytime workforce. Housing in the area is mixed: home values have risen modestly in the past year, and the county’s housing market shows relatively low days on market, suggesting steady demand. Rents have also increased slightly, and renting a home is generally less expensive than paying a mortgage for a median-priced property. Wauwatosa’s population has declined gradually from a mid-20th-century peak, but the city remains one of the state’s larger municipalities. No major new housing developments were identified in available sources, indicating a stable, built-out community.

The school district recently made several notable changes. In 2024, voters approved a facilities referendum for building improvements including safety upgrades and HVAC work, as well as an operational referendum that allows the district to exceed state revenue caps for several years to maintain programs and staff. The district also adopted a new literacy curriculum aligned with Wisconsin’s science-based reading law, and closed one elementary school, adjusting attendance boundaries for the following year. These decisions may affect families considering the district’s overall direction and the specific feeder patterns that lead to Whitman Middle.

Several areas of information are missing from the available data. There are no reported figures on chronic absenteeism, discipline rates, or course access, which for a middle school would include offerings like world languages, music, or advanced coursework. Special education and English learner counts were also absent. A parent exploring Whitman would likely want to visit, talk to staff, and review the school’s own materials to fill in these gaps. The academic picture that is present shows a school where results are solid relative to the county but where roughly half of students are not yet meeting state proficiency standards in the core subjects.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 646%

School 46% · District 64% · ▼ 18 pts below district

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

Grade 745%

School 45% · District 61% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

Grade 848%

School 48% · District 63% · ▼ 16 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 66% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 749%

School 49% · District 64% · ▼ 15 pts below district

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

Grade 851%

School 51% · District 64% · ▼ 13 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 67% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 79% · ▼ 9 pts below district

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

This schoolWauwatosa 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 6Lower-income36%Higher-income60%24 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income26%Higher-income60%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income22%Higher-income64%42 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income57%29 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income55%30 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income22%Higher-income58%36 pp gap