The top reported proficiency rate is 100% in Social studies. The lowest is 87% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Wauwatosa Stem
Wauwatosa STEM is a charter elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade within the Wauwatosa School District. It is a public school that operates as a charter, and its enrollment is small relative to many elementary schools in the district. The student body is predominantly white, with very small shares of Asian, Hispanic, Black, and multiracial students. A very small share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school well below the district and county averages for economic disadvantage.
On Wisconsin’s Forward assessments, the school posted very strong results in math, English language arts, science, and social studies across all tested grades. The proficiency rates in math and ELA were high enough to place the school in the top quartile among all schools in Milwaukee County districts on a composite proficiency measure. In fourth-grade social studies, every student who took the test scored proficient or above. Participation rates were complete, so the results reflect the full tested population.
Because Wauwatosa STEM serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report, and chronic absenteeism data was not available in the profile. The school does not operate a high school program, so any family looking beyond fifth grade would need to consider the district’s middle and high school options: Wauwatosa East and Wauwatosa West, the two comprehensive high schools.
The school is located in Wauwatosa, an inner-ring suburb of Milwaukee that combines older, walkable neighborhoods on the east side with a large commercial and retail corridor along the beltline highway on the west. The city’s population is stable to slightly declining, but housing turnover is moderate, with a mix of owner-occupied and rental stock. The Milwaukee County Regional Medical Center, anchored by Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin, is a major employment hub and draws a significant daytime workforce to the city. The Wauwatosa School District passed a facilities and operational referendum in 2024 that funds building improvements and allows the district to exceed state revenue caps for several years, which may affect class sizes and program offerings at all schools, including Wauwatosa STEM. The district also adopted a new literacy curriculum aligned with Wisconsin’s science-based reading law and closed one elementary school in 2024, with attendance boundary changes that followed.
For a family considering Wauwatosa STEM, the academic picture is very strong on the measures that are available. The school’s charter status means it operates with some autonomy from the district’s standard elementary model, though the data does not specify what instructional or curricular approach defines the STEM focus beyond the school’s name. The student body is economically and racially homogeneous compared to the broader county, which may be a factor for families who value diversity in the peer environment. The housing market in Wauwatosa includes a range of older homes in the eastern neighborhoods and newer developments near the commercial corridors, with home values and rents that are above the state median but below those in the most expensive suburban districts to the north and west. The school itself is a small building, and the low enrollment suggests it may offer a more intimate setting than larger elementary schools in the district. Families who are looking for a high-performing elementary with a science and technology orientation and who are comfortable with a relatively homogeneous population may find this a good fit. Those seeking more economic or racial diversity, or who need information on special education or English learner services, will have to consult the school directly, as those data fields were not reported in the available records.
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