The top reported proficiency rate is 93% in Social studies. The lowest is 87% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Richards Elementary
Richards Elementary is a regular public school in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of two elementary schools in the Whitefish Bay School District and sits within a village that has long anchored its identity around education: the village was incorporated in the early twentieth century specifically to form an independent school district, and its schools are woven into the residential fabric rather than set apart on large campuses.
Academically, Richards Elementary posts results that place it in the top quartile among districts in Milwaukee County on a composite measure of proficiency across tested subjects and grades. State assessments in math, English language arts, science, and social studies all return rates that are very high: in every tested grade level and subject, the share of students scoring proficient or above is well into the eighties or nineties. Participation rates on these exams are essentially universal, so the results reflect nearly every enrolled student in the tested grades. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report; a parent looking ahead would need to examine the district’s middle and high school outcomes separately. District-level data showed no major recent changes at the Whitefish Bay district level, so the basic programming and resource picture appears stable.
Enrollment at Richards is roughly consistent for a K–5 school serving a village of its size. The student body is predominantly white, with relatively small shares of students who identify as Asian, Hispanic, or two or more races; the Black and Native American populations are very small. Very few students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the high household incomes that characterize this north shore Milwaukee suburb. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not available in the reporting; a family with specific needs in those areas may want to follow up directly with the school.
The community context matters for understanding Richards Elementary. Whitefish Bay is a compact, built-out village of several square miles along the Lake Michigan shore, directly north of Milwaukee. It developed as a streetcar suburb and remains predominantly single-family residential, with a commercial spine along Silver Spring Drive. Housing values are well above the national median, and rents are correspondingly high. There is no room for geographic expansion, so the village’s housing stock turns over slowly. The market shows a limited number of listings and properties that move relatively quickly, consistent with a desirable, supply-constrained market. The village’s civic anchors include the public library, Old Schoolhouse Park, and the lakefront, as well as several private schools for families who choose an alternative to the public system.
In terms of school environment, Richards is a regular public school with no charter or magnet designation, and it does not receive Title I funding, given its affluent student population. Data on discipline rates, course access, staffing ratios, and chronic absenteeism were not available in the materials provided. For a school serving only elementary grades, those gaps are not unusual in state reporting, and they do not necessarily signal concerns, but a parent seeking that detail would need to ask the school or district directly. The school’s location within a stable, high-amenity village means that peer environment is shaped by the community’s overall socioeconomic profile.
Richards Elementary is a strong fit for families who can afford Whitefish Bay’s housing costs and who value very high academic proficiency in a largely homogeneous, high-income setting. The school delivers consistently strong test results across all elementary subjects, and its small, stable community offers a predictable pathway through the early grades. Families who want greater racial or socioeconomic diversity, or who are looking for a school with a Title I program or a more varied student body, would find a very different profile here. A parent should also consider that the district’s middle and high school outcomes will ultimately matter for the full arc of a child’s education, and those are not captured in this elementary-level picture.
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