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What advice would you give to incoming students at Highland Community School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
387
Elementary
DISTRICT 370 · STATE 323
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·MILWAUKEE SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 550960001847
Highland Community School
1706 W Highland Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53233 · (414) 342-1412 · Milwaukee County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL387 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 46% of Wisconsin public elementary schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Wisconsin public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.8:1 · STATE 14.7:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
41%
157 students
DISTRICT 84% · STATE 42%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 48 | 12% |
| Kindergarten | 45 | 12% |
| Grade 1 | 43 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 41 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 39 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 38 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 30 | 8% |
| Grade 6 | 36 | 9% |
| Grade 7 | 39 | 10% |
| Grade 8 | 28 | 7% |
This year's kindergarten class (45) is 61% larger than its 8th grade class (28).
Student demographics
69%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · STATE 54% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
Forward Exam 2024-25 . % Meeting or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
63.2%
WI avg 53.1% . +0.0pp since 2023
Math
45.9%
WI avg 54.8% . +1.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the Forward Exam, Wisconsin's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 46 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Wisconsin schools, those numbers are about 53 and 55. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are up about 1 points.
Forward Exam results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 63.2% | 45.9% |
| 2023-24 | 63.2% | 44.8% |
% Meeting or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: Forward Exam. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
56.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
52.8%
based on WI schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+3.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 56% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 53% typical for Wisconsin schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Wisconsin's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Highland Community School
Highland Community School's state test result (56.4% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highland Community School this school | 387 | 40.6% | 56.4% |
| Parkway Elementary Glendale | 490 | 38.0% | 46.4% |
| Lowell Elementary Madison | 329 | 44.7% | 56.2% |
| Eisenhower Elementary Wauwatosa | 373 | 34.3% | 56.1% |
| Creekside Elementary Sun Prairie | 394 | 43.9% | 45.5% |
| Underwood Elementary Wauwatosa | 315 | 41.6% | 44.5% |
Matched among Wisconsin elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Highland Community School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Wisconsin | In Milwaukee County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 56.4% | #495 of 982 | #37 of 171 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 45.9% | #654 of 992 ▲ 37 | #49 of 174 ▲ 4 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.2% | #277 of 992 ▲ 21 | #33 of 174 ▼ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 387 | #378 of 1,157 | #67 of 180 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.3:1 | #474 of 901 | #36 of 158 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 68.9% | #103 of 901 | #27 of 158 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 40.6% | #562 of 1,064 | #135 of 174 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -5.4% | #561 of 664 | #111 of 133 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
387
-39 (-9%) vs 2020
+321% since 2000-01, when it was 92
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 16.4:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 387 | 29 | 13.3:1 | 41% (157) |
| 2023-24 | 414 | 23 | 18.0:1 | 43% (180) |
| 2022-23 | 420 | 28 | 15.0:1 | 39% (164) |
| 2020-21 | 426 | 26 | 16.4:1 | 50% (213) |
| 2017-18 | 409 | 15 | 27.3:1 | 41% (167) |
| 2015-16 | 375 | 10 | 37.5:1 | 41% (152) |
| 2010-11 | 182 | N/A | N/A | 42% (76) |
| 2000-01 | 92 | 4 | 23.0:1 | 68% (63) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Highland Community School.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (409 to 387); teachers up 93% (15 to 29).
About Highland Community School
Highland Community School is a medium-sized elementary school found in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It covers pre-K through 8, with a total enrollment of 387 students.
Highland Community School is part of Milwaukee School District, where 155 schools serve 65,835 students.
White students are the largest group at Highland Community School, with 39% of enrollment. The remaining shares are 37% Black, 12% Hispanic, and 11% multiracial. Milwaukee County as a whole is about 51% White, so the school's share is lower. By the diversity index, Highland Community School comes in at 69%.
The school has about 13.3 students per teacher and 29 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average ratio among elementary schools in Wisconsin is 14.7:1, higher than at this school. About 41% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. That is 23 points below the 64% average for public schools in Milwaukee County.
Highland Community School is graded B- by allk12, scoring above 46% of Wisconsin public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, Highland Community School falls in the middle 80% of Wisconsin schools: 56.4% actual against 52.8% predicted.
Milwaukee County census figures show that median household income is about $64,435, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Highland Community School is among the 284 public schools in Milwaukee County.
Nearby, Milwaukee Academy of Science is about 0.3 miles away. Highland Community School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. Highland Community School ranks 1st of 6 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 56.4% against a local average of 12.1%.
Highland Community School falls in the City: Large locale category, used for schools inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more. Highland Community School is one of the charter schools in Wisconsin.
The number of students dropped from 426 to 387 over 4 years. The number of students per teacher fell from 16.4 to 13.3 over 4 years.
Threads on this page can be about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Milwaukee County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
926,331
Census ACS
Median income
$64,435
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
284
122,496 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Milwaukee School District
- HAPA-Hmong American Peace Academy K3-12Combined · 1,974 students
- Hamilton HighHigh · 1,472 students
- Reagan College Preparatory HighHigh · 1,372 students
- King InternationalHigh · 1,308 students
- Obama School of Career and Technical EducationCombined · 1,294 students
- Riverside HighHigh · 1,240 students
Other schools in Milwaukee
- HAPA-Hmong American Peace Academy K3-12Combined · 1,974 students
- Milwaukee Academy of ScienceCombined · 1,711 students
- Hamilton HighHigh · 1,472 students
- Reagan College Preparatory HighHigh · 1,372 students
- Bruce GuadalupeElementary · 1,364 students
- King InternationalHigh · 1,308 students
Other Highland Community schools
One other US public school is named Highland Community. Highland Community School is the 2nd largest of the 2.
- Highland CommunityOakland, CA · 457 students
Nearby schools
- Milwaukee Academy of Science0.3 mi · 1,711
- Milwaukee High School of the Arts0.4 mi · 959
- Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning0.4 mi · 286
- Siefert Elementary0.5 mi · 174
- UpGrade Media Arts Schools0.5 mi · 10
- DOC: Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility0.5 mi · 4
Frequently asked questions
About Highland Community SchoolHow large is Highland Community School?
Highland Community School enrolls approximately 387 students in grades PK-08.
Is Highland Community School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Highland Community School is an elementary school covering grades PK-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland Community School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Highland Community School is approximately 13.3:1 (29 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Highland Community School?
At Highland Community School, the student body is approximately 39% White, 12% Hispanic, 37% Black, 1% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Is Highland Community School public or private?
Highland Community School is a public K-12 school operated as a charter, overseen by Milwaukee School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.