Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is the largest

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, wh ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. As of the 2015–16 school year, MPS served 75,568 students in 154 schools and had 9,636 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions. The Milwaukee Public Schools system is the one of the largest in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

by enrollment. A publicly elected

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

, the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, provides direction and oversight, with a superintendent heading the organization's administration. Milwaukee Public Schools' offerings include neighborhood schools, specialty schools and charter schools serving students as young as age 3 up through grade 12.

Programs

Specialty programs in MPS include arts schools such as

Milwaukee High School of the Arts Established in 1895, Milwaukee High School of the Arts (MHSA), formerly West Division Sr. High School, is a high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is a part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system. It specializes in preparation for ...

; career and technical education schools such as

Lynde & Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School The Lynde and Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School (also known as Bradley Tech) is a high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, North America. Located in the Walker's Point neighborhood, Bradley Tech is the primary high school for t ...

; gifted and talented schools such as

Golda Meir School The Golda Meir School (originally Fourth Street School) for gifted and talented students is a Milwaukee Public Schools district elementary, middle, and high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school offers classes for students in grades three th ...

;

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

and college prep high schools such as

Rufus King International School - High School Campus Rufus King International High School, or Rufus King, is a public magnet high school located on the north side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools district. The school is ranked the 1,658th best public high school in the c ...

Riverside University High School Riverside University High School is a public high school located on the East Side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with a college preparatory curriculum. It is a part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system. History Pre-1912 Starting in the early 185 ...

and

Ronald Reagan College Preparatory High School Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School (RWR) is a high school located at 4965 South 20th Street in the Town of Lake neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is a part of Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). Formerly known as Town ...

; language immersion schools including French, German, Italian, and Spanish immersion elementary schools and Milwaukee School of Languages for middle- and high-school students; and a large number of Montessori schools. The district owns WYMS-FM (88.9), which airs an eclectic selection of music and is programmed by a local non-profit group via an LMA.

Performance

While overall reading and math proficiency rates are below the state average and below those of some other large city districts, the district did see some growth in scores in both subjects and both grades tested on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress and on the 2012–13 state standardized tests, MPS students, on the whole, outperformed Milwaukee students receiving publicly funded vouchers to attend private schools. School District officials note declining funding as a catalyst to problems in the district. However, local journalists have cited school officials as lacking in motivation to improve the system. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in its 2011−12 School District Performance Report lists Milwaukee's Regular Diploma Graduation Rate at 66.2%. In 2012,

Rufus King International School – High School Campus Rufus King International High School, or Rufus King, is a public magnet high school located on the north side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools district. The school is ranked the 1,658th best public high school in the c ...

was ranked the 130th best public high school in the nation, making it the top performing school in the state of Wisconsin.

was ranked second in Wisconsin, while Milwaukee School of Languages was ranked seventh.

Charter schools

In 1990, Milwaukee became the first community in the United States to adopt a

school voucher A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...

program. The program enables students to receive public funding to study at

parochial Parochial is an adjective which may refer to: * Parishes, in religion ** Parish churches, also called parochial churches * Parochial schools, primary or secondary schools affiliated to a religious organisation * Parochialism Parochialism is the ...

and other

private schools An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

free of cost. The 2006−07 school year marked the first time that more than $100 million was paid in vouchers, as 26% of Milwaukee students receive public funding to attend schools outside the MPS system. If the voucher program alone were considered a school district, it would mark the sixth-largest district in Wisconsin. Under Wisconsin state law, the Milwaukee school board is one of several entities that can authorize

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

s in the city. Other authorities that can authorize charter schools are the Milwaukee

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

, the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a ...

, and the

Milwaukee Area Technical College Milwaukee Area Technical College (or MATC) is a public two-year vocational-technical college based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MATC offers day, evening, and weekend classes at campuses in downtown Milwaukee, Oak Creek, West Allis, and Mequon. En ...

Board. The first charter school in Milwaukee was the Highland Community School, a

Montessori The Montessori method of education involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing real-world skills. It emphasizes indepen ...

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

authorized by Milwaukee Public Schools in 1996.

Schools

An asterisk (*) indicates a charter school.

K4-K schools

* Next Door Foundation School *

K–8 schools

* Auer Ave. Elementary School * Bay View Montessori School * Luther Burbank Elementary School * A.E. Burdick School * Mary McLeod Bethune Academy * Dr. Benjamin Carson Academy of Science * George Washington Carver Academy of Mathematics and Science * Cass St. School * James Fenimore Cooper Elementary School * Craig Montessori School * Eighty-First St. Elementary School * Fairview Public School * Fernwood Montessori School * Frederick J. Gaenslen School * Hamlin Garland School * U.S. Grant Elementary School * Grantosa Dr. Elementary School * Greenfield Bilingual School * Hartford Ave. University School * Oliver Wendell Holmes Elementary School * Hopkins Lloyd Community School * Humboldt Park School * I.D.E.A.L. (Individualized Developmental Educational Approaches to Learning) School * * Keefe Ave. Elementary School * Martin Luther King Jr. School * La Causa Charter School * * Robert M. La Follette Elementary School * Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Elementary School * Manitoba Elementary School * Maryland Ave. Montessori School *

* Ralph H. Metcalfe School *

Milwaukee Academy of Chinese Language Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

* Milwaukee College Prep–36th St. Campus * * Milwaukee College Prep–38th St. Campus * * Milwaukee College Prep–Lloyd St. Campus * * Milwaukee College Prep Lola Rowe–North Campus * * Milwaukee Environmental Sciences Academy * * Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts * Milwaukee Sign Language School * Alexander Mitchell Integrated Arts Elementary School * Rogers St. Academy * William T. Sherman Multicultural Arts Elementary School * Albert Story School * Henry David Thoreau Elementary School * Trowbridge St. Elementary School * Victory K8 and Milwaukee Italian Immersion School * Vieau School (Escuela Vieau) * Westside Academy * Thurston Woods Campus Elementary School

Elementary schools (grades K-5)

* Academy of Accelerated Learning * Academia de Lenguaje y Bellas Artes (ALBA) * * Louisa May Alcott School * Allen-Field School * Lloyd Barbee Montessori School * Clara Barton School * Brown St. Academy * Browning School * William George Bruce School * William Cullen Bryant School * Clarke St. Elementary School * Samuel Clemens School * Clement Ave. School * Congress School * Jeremiah Curtin Leadership Academy * Anna F. Doerfler School * Elm Creative Arts School * Ralph Waldo Emerson School * Engleburg School * Fifty-Third St. School * Forest Home Ave. School * Benjamin Franklin School * Fratney School (La Escuela Fratney) * Lowell P. Goodrich School * Hampton School * Hawley Environmental School * Nathaniel Hawthorne School * Hayes Bilingual School * Hi-Mount Blvd. School * Highland Community School * * Honey Creek Continuous Progress Charter School * * Albert E. Kagel School * Byron Kilbourn School * Richard Kluge School * Lincoln Ave. Community School * Lancaster Elementary School * Lowell International Elementary School * Maple Tree School * Marvin Pratt Elementary School * Milwaukee French Immersion School * Milwaukee German Immersion School * Milwaukee Spanish Immersion School * Morgandale School * Neeskara School * Ninety-Fifth St. School * Parkview Elementary School * James Whitcomb Riley Dual-Language Montessori School * River Trail Elementary School * Riverwest Elementary School * Siefert Elementary School * Frances Brock Starms Discovery Learning Center * Frances Brock Starms Early Childhood Center * Gilbert Stuart Elementary School * Walt Whitman Elementary School * Whittier School * * Clement J. Zablocki Elementary School

Middle schools (grades 6-8)

* Audubon Technology & Communication Center Middle School * Banner School of Milwaukee * Lincoln Center of the Arts Middle School * Roosevelt Middle School of the Arts *

Rufus King International School – Middle Years Campus Rufus King International Middle School is a public magnet intermediate school located on the north side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools district. It was launched in September 2010 in the Ronald McNair building. The ...

* Wedgewood Park International School

Middle and high schools (grades 6–12)

* The Alliance School * * Bay View Middle and High School * Carmen Middle/High School of Science and Technology-Northwest Campus * * Milwaukee School of Languages *

Samuel Morse John Marshall School for the Gifted and Talented Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bib ...

K–12 schools

Hmong American Peace Academy The Hmong American Peace Academy (HAPA) is a charter school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, under the authority of Milwaukee Public Schools.MacDowell Montessori School MacDowell Montessori School is a public school that is part of the Milwaukee Public School District. Located at 6415 W Mt Vernon Ave it is on the west side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the Bluemound Heights neighborhood. The school building was ...

Barack Obama School of Career Technical and Education Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning Wisconsin Conservatory of Lifelong Learning (WCLL) is a Milwaukee Public Schools district school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and ...

High schools (grades 9-12)

Audubon Technology and Communication Center High School The National Audubon Society (Audubon; ) is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats. Located in the United States and incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organ ...

Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

* Lynde and Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School * Carmen High School of Science and Technology (South Campus) * * Alexander Hamilton High School *

James Madison Academic Campus Madison University High School (formerly James Madison High School) is a high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools system. It changed its name in 1996 to reflect a higher emphasis on meeting academic ...

* John Marshall High School * Milwaukee Excel High School *

* Milwaukee School of Languages * North Division High School *

Casimir Pulaski High School Casimir Pulaski High School is a public high school located on 2500 W Oklahoma Ave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Casimir Pulaski is part of the Milwaukee Public School system. The school had 1600 students during the 2004–2005 school year. Pulaski i ...

* Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School *

South Division High School South Division High School is a public high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. South Division is part of the Milwaukee Public Schools. History The building was built after an 1890 motion by the Milwaukee Board of School Directors, as a second Mil ...

Harold S. Vincent High School Harold S. Vincent High School, colloquially known as just Vincent, is a public high school located on 7501 North Granville Road in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school is part of the Milwaukee Public Schools. Vincent's official student enrollment is ...

* Washington High School of Information Technology

References

External links

* {{Authority control, state=expanded Education in Milwaukee School districts in Wisconsin 1846 establishments in Wisconsin Territory School districts established in 1846