Doerfler Elementary

Doerfler Elementary operates as a heavily attended primary school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, overseen by Milwaukee School District. Current enrollment sits at 609 students spanning grades pre-K through 8. By comparison, Wisconsin's public schools average about 323 students each, so Doerfler Elementary sits 89% bigger than that benchmark.

Across the 155 schools in Milwaukee School District (65,835 students total), Doerfler Elementary accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Doerfler Elementary reports that nearly all students (85%) are Hispanic. The remainder comes out to 9% Black, 2% White. That is visibly more Hispanic than the county at large, where the share is closer to 17%.

On the income-and-resources front, Staff filings list 34 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 18.1:1 students per teacher. The state averages around 14.7:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. An estimated 79% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is noticeably above Milwaukee County's rate of about 64%.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Doerfler Elementary sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 29.2%; this one delivers 16.0%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for Milwaukee County put median household earnings sit near $64,435, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Milwaukee County runs 284 public schools (combined enrollment of about 122,496 students), of which Doerfler Elementary is one.

The closest other public school is Seeds of Health Elementary Program, roughly 0.3 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Doerfler Elementary. On composite proficiency, Doerfler Elementary comes 6th of 9 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 20.2%.

Doerfler Elementary operates from a downtown location.

Over the past 7-year window. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Doerfler Elementary has decreased 3%, going from 629 students in 2018 to 609 in 2025. Class-load math has narrowed: from 19.4:1 in 2018 to 18.1:1 in 2025.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.