Hawthorne Elementary

Hawthorne Elementary, a low-enrollment primary school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of Milwaukee School District, instructs 259 students, covering grades pre-K through 5.

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

For racial and ethnic makeup, Hawthorne Elementary records that 86% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority. The remainder is composed of 8% Hispanic, 5% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 26% Black, putting the school's mix considerably more Black than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school currently runs with 16 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 16.1:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 14.7:1 average. Around 97% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. Set against Milwaukee County (around 64%), the school's rate is somewhat above typical.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Hawthorne Elementary tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 18.2% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 10.8%.

In the surrounding community, census data for Milwaukee County shows median household income runs about $64,435, roughly 35% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 13%. In all, Milwaukee County runs 284 public schools (combined enrollment of about 122,496 students), of which Hawthorne Elementary is one.

Nearest neighbor: Green Tree Preparatory Academy, around 0.7 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Hawthorne Elementary. On composite proficiency, Hawthorne Elementary comes 7th of 9 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 25.7%.

Geographically, the school is in an urban area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count ticked down 18%: 316 students in 2018 compared to 259 in 2025. Class-load math has tightened: from 24.1:1 in 2018 to 16.1:1 in 2025.

On the community side, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.