Bethune Academy

Bethune Academy is a sprawling K-5 school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of the schools within Milwaukee School District. The school teaches 574 students in grades pre-K through 8. That puts it 78% larger than the typical public school in Wisconsin, which averages around 323 students.

Milwaukee School District runs 155 schools in total, collectively educating 65,835 students. Bethune Academy is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Bethune Academy records that 62% of the student body identifies as Black. Beyond that, the school records 30% Asian, 3% Hispanic, 3% multiracial. That is visibly more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 26%.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Bethune Academy has 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 18.2:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.7:1, putting Bethune Academy higher than the state norm the norm. Around 96% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is above Milwaukee County's rate of about 64%.

After controlling for student poverty, Bethune Academy tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 18.6% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 16.6%.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Milwaukee County indicate the typical household earns roughly $64,435 per year, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 13%. Across Milwaukee County's 284 public schools (combined enrollment of about 122,496 students), Bethune Academy is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Transition High, roughly 0.3 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Bethune Academy comes 3rd of 6 in the immediate cluster, ahead of the nearby-schools average of 13.7%.

Geographically, the school is in a city-core area.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Bethune Academy has held roughly steady, going from 562 students in 2018 to 574 in 2025. The Asian share of enrollment contracted from 35% to 30% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 22.5:1 in 2018 to 18.2:1 today.

Inside the community feed, posts here usually surface around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.