West Milwaukee Intermediate, West Milwaukee WI

Original Research by School Decision on West Milwaukee Intermediate

West Milwaukee Intermediate is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in the village of West Milwaukee, part of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District. The school occupies the former West Milwaukee High School building, a reflection of the village’s history of school consolidation with its larger neighbor, West Allis. After eighth grade, students go on to West Allis Central High School or Nathan Hale High School.

The student body of roughly medium size for a middle school is diverse. Hispanic students make up the largest share, followed by White students and Black students, with smaller groups of students who identify as two or more races, American Indian, and Asian. About two-thirds of students come from low-income households, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price meals. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the reporting, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports offered for those groups.

On the Wisconsin Forward state assessments, proficiency rates varied across subjects and grades. In English language arts, the share of students scoring proficient or advanced ranged from about one-third to just over one-quarter, with the highest rate in sixth grade and the lowest in eighth grade. Math followed a similar pattern, with roughly one in three sixth graders and fewer than one in four eighth graders reaching proficiency. Science, tested only in eighth grade, showed about one-quarter of students proficient. Social studies, also tested only in eighth grade, stood out with just over half of students proficient. When compared across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among districts in Milwaukee County.

These results indicate that a substantial portion of students are not meeting grade-level benchmarks, particularly in math and science. The pattern of declining proficiency from sixth to eighth grade is common in many middle schools, but the rates here are lower than average for the county. Parents considering the school would want to understand what academic interventions and enrichment opportunities are available, though the data on course access and staffing were not included in this profile.

The school sits in West Milwaukee, a small, compact village of about one square mile that grew around manufacturing and rail. The village was heavily industrial, and its development took a major blow in the late 1960s and 1970s when a third of its housing was cleared for an expressway that was never built. Recovery began in the 1990s with redevelopment along Miller Park Way, now a busy commercial corridor lined with condos, apartments, and businesses. Today the village blends residential streets, retail, and remaining industry. The homeownership rate is on the lower side, consistent with a predominantly renter population. Housing values in the area are moderate, with median home prices below the national figure and rents that are comparatively affordable by regional standards. The village has limited civic amenities: three small parks, a village hall, and quick highway access to downtown Milwaukee, American Family Field, and the VA medical center.

The school does not offer any specialized magnet or charter programs, and no information was available about after-school activities, athletics, or arts offerings. A parent would need to contact the school to learn about the curriculum and enrichment beyond the core academic subjects.

For families living in West Milwaukee, this is the neighborhood middle school. The peer environment is economically diverse but predominantly low-income, and the academic picture is one where a majority of students are working below grade level in most subjects. The community context is a compact, historically working-class village that has undergone redevelopment and is still in transition. The school fits a family that values a regular public school close to home, understands the academic challenges, and intends to be actively engaged in supporting their child’s progress.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 633%

School 33% · District 36% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 729%

School 29% · District 32% · ▼ 4 pts below district

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

Grade 823%

School 23% · District 34% · ▼ 11 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 47% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 736%

School 36% · District 40% · ▼ 3 pts below district

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

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 43% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 24 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Science

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 37% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▲ 5 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 58% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

This schoolWest Allis-West Milwaukee 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-income37%Higher-income48%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income34%Higher-income42%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income29%Higher-income22%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income29%Higher-income52%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income25%Higher-income39%14 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income23%Higher-income21%2 pp gap