MILWAUKEE — Education within the City of Milwaukee continues to score lower than the national average. It has also seen less improvement than other large U.S. cities.

A recent study by the Wisconsin Policy Forum looks at what has worked in Milwaukee’s higher scoring schools, as well as other cities.

What You Need To Know

  • Milwaukee education continues to score low and has seen less improvement compared to other large cities

  • Disparities are higher among low-income, Black and Latino students

  • The study looks at many challenges Milwaukee schools face, including funding and staff turnover

The study looked at the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) district, which accounts for 54.9% of Milwaukee students, as well as Milwaukee charter and choice schools, which all receive some amount of public funding.

At 30.4%, Milwaukee has one of the highest child poverty rates compared to other large U.S. cities, topped only by Baltimore, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Detroit. Education scores are lower-than-average in these cities. 

However, while fourth grade reading scores have increased in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Cleveland since the COVID-19 pandemic, these scores have continued to drop in Milwaukee.

Thee Wisconsin Policy Forum said that while a majority of states weigh some of their funding — so that schools with higher child poverty rates receive additional funding — Wisconsin does not do this.

The study also looked at staffing shortage challenges. While staffing turnover has increased statewide since the COVID-19 pandemic, Milwaukee has continually had higher-than-average turnover since at least 2009.

The study noted that other cities, such as Washington D.C., have worked to combat this by implementing performance-based pay to help retain highly-rated teachers, with additional bonuses for teachers in high-poverty schools. This has kept D.C.’s teacher retention at 93%, and 94% in its high-poverty schools. MPS has no similar program.

Milwaukee has also seen a widening disparity in student outcomes among white, Hispanic and Black students. In 2009, fourth grade reading proficiency was 11% lower for Hispanic students than white students, and 16% lower for Black students.

In 2024, despite reading levels remaining largely consistent for white students, scores are now 18% lower for Hispanic students and 23% lower for Black students.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum identified many of Milwaukee’s schools as “80/80” schools, having both a higher rate of child poverty and racial segregation, with both above 80%. The study found that while a majority of these schools tend to have lower student outcomes, 21 of the 69 schools that exceeded both the city average for achievement and growth were “80/80” schools.

The study interviewed the principles of many of these schools to learn why they were successful, and found that common themes included having a unified mission, high expectations, proactive family engagement, additional funding through fundraising and community partnerships and a higher level of school autonomy.

Funding also remains a concern, with Milwaukee having lower per-pupil funding compared to other cities that have seen more success. In 2022, MPS per pupil funding was $18,668, compared to $19,600 in Chicago Public Schools and $21,629 in D.C. Public Schools. This is also exacerbated by Milwaukee having a shrinking student population, with much of the funding allocated on a per pupil basis.

The study however noted that the impact of recent changes remain unclear, including a $252 million MPS referendum last year and an increase in funding for Milwaukee’s charter and private schools in the 2023-2025 state budget.

Read the full report, here. 

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