Whittier Elementary

Summary:

Whittier Elementary is a public charter elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with 143 students. Despite being part of the Milwaukee School District, which is ranked 417 out of 428 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger, Whittier Elementary consistently outperforms the district and the state of Wisconsin in academic proficiency.

In 2023-2024, 68.18% of Whittier Elementary's 3rd graders were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to just 21.43% for the Milwaukee School District and 52.07% for the state of Wisconsin. The school has maintained a 4- or 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade, despite having a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 59.44% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in 2022-2023. Whittier Elementary's small size and low student-teacher ratio, ranging from 14.3 to 20.9 over the past three school years, may contribute to its academic success.

Whittier Elementary generally outperforms nearby schools in the Milwaukee School District, such as Humboldt Park Elementary and Cooper Elementary, in academic proficiency. However, some nearby schools, like Bay View Montessori School, also demonstrate strong academic performance. Whittier Elementary's commitment to equity and inclusion is noteworthy, as it has consistently ranked in the top 10% of Wisconsin elementary schools for Hispanic students, who make up a significant portion of the student population.


Detail:

Public, Charter PK, KG-5

 4382 S 3rd St
       Milwaukee, WI  53207-4968


(414) 294-1400

District: Milwaukee School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
279th of 1,061 Wisconsin Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,548 Help


Students who attend Whittier Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    King International Baccalaureate Middle
    Lincoln Middle
    Roosevelt Middle
High:    Audubon Technology and Communication High
    Bay View High
    Bradley Technology High
    Hamilton High
    More...

Student/teacher ratio:  14.5 Help
Number of students:  142

Racial breakdown:

White:
32.4%
Hispanic:
31.0%
African American:
20.4%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  62% Help


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 Compare Whittier Elementary to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Whittier Elementary ranks better than 73.7% of elementary schools in Wisconsin. It also ranks first among 106 ranked elementary schools in the Milwaukee School District! (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 72.39. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Whittier Elementary is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (32.4%), Hispanic (31%), African American (20.4%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 62% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Whittier Elementary is 14.5, which is the 18th best among 106 elementary schools in the Milwaukee School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Whittier Elementary employs 9.7 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Whittier Elementary is $13,548. 96 elementary schools in the Milwaukee School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Whittier Elementary:

SchoolDigger ranks Whittier Elementary 279th of 1061 Wisconsin public elementary schools. (See Whittier Elementary in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Hispanic students:


Milwaukee School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Milwaukee School District 417th of 428 Wisconsin school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Whittier Elementary.

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Rank History for Whittier Elementary

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Rank History for all students at Whittier Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 79.11 106th 712 85.1%
2008 81.60 61st 1021 94.0%
2009 77.46 145th 1030 85.9%
2010 88.86 6th 1045 99.4%
2011 80.63 81st 1046 92.3%
2012 76.06 137th 1045 86.9%
2013 77.65 147th 1053 86.0%
2014 72.13 228th 1061 78.5%
2015 82.50 99th 1076 90.8%
2016 84.85 96th 1075 91.1%
2017 89.96 41st 1071 96.2%
2018 53.70 518th 1025 49.5%
2019 72.14 260th 1037 74.9%
2021 39.40 707th 1050 32.7%
2022 60.54 441st 1067 58.7%
2023 73.45 244th 1067 77.1%
2024 72.39 279th 1061 73.7%
See the entire list of Wisconsin Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Special Education students at Whittier Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 43.10 407th 746 45.4%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Whittier Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 70.25 158th 854 81.5%
2019 72.93 148th 874 83.1%
2021 35.51 591st 847 30.2%
2022 86.62 36th 859 95.8%
2023 87.24 36th 871 95.9%
2024 78.94 95th 866 89.0%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Whittier Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 53.33 502nd 997 49.6%
2019 72.29 236th 1002 76.4%
2021 36.97 692nd 1004 31.1%
2022 58.42 442nd 1017 56.5%
2023 77.13 181st 1010 82.1%
2024 66.63 344th 1011 66.0%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Whittier Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 54.78 480th 997 51.9%
2019 70.67 255th 1002 74.6%
2021 43.16 639th 1003 36.3%
2022 61.22 379th 1017 62.7%
2023 66.30 322nd 1011 68.2%
2024 74.31 228th 1012 77.5%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Whittier Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 60.22 82nd 271 69.7%
2019 54.13 100th 266 62.4%
2021 53.02 103rd 274 62.4%
2022 64.12 88th 296 70.3%
2023 73.62 60th 290 79.3%
2024 83.13 38th 331 88.5%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Whittier Elementary

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 46.39 395th 686 42.4%
2019 61.04 275th 718 61.7%
2021 31.14 536th 699 23.3%
2022 50.30 373rd 704 47.0%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Whittier Elementary Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Open Quote I have two children attending Whittier. I LOVE this school! This school is a hidden gem. Close Quote


by a parent
Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Open Quote My daughter has been a student since 2008 and I absolutely love Whittier. The teachers are amazing along with the rest of the staff. I would recommend this school to anyone. Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, April 23, 2010

Open Quote I absolutely love this school. My son is excelling, well behaved and so are the other students!!! Close Quote



Enrollment information for Whittier Elementary

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 168 45 4 2 1 n/a n/a 0 220
1989 169 59 2 3 n/a n/a n/a 0 233
1990 163 43 3 2 0 n/a n/a 0 211
1991 161 44 3 3 0 n/a n/a 0 211
1992 160 37 2 3 2 n/a n/a 0 204
1993 155 40 4 2 6 n/a n/a 0 207
1994 146 53 4 4 4 n/a n/a 0 211
1995 148 35 2 12 6 n/a n/a 0 203
1996 148 35 2 12 6 n/a n/a 0 203
1997 163 21 3 16 5 n/a n/a 0 208
1998 160 27 2 14 8 n/a n/a 0 211
1999 162 22 2 14 8 n/a n/a 0 208
2000 155 22 1 16 4 n/a n/a 0 198
2001 158 17 2 11 4 n/a n/a 0 192
2002 179 19 3 14 2 n/a n/a 0 217
2003 179 19 3 14 2 n/a n/a 0 217
2004 180 13 3 14 3 n/a n/a 0 213
2005 184 4 2 14 7 n/a n/a 0 211
2006 179 2 3 21 4 n/a n/a 0 209
2007 178 8 3 18 5 n/a n/a 0 212
2008 158 11 9 25 3 n/a n/a 0 206
2009 167 10 2 39 3 n/a n/a 0 221
2010 164 13 2 34 4 n/a n/a 0 217
2011 156 17 2 38 4 0 1 0 218
2012 140 23 6 40 3 0 1 0 213
2013 132 24 6 48 3 0 1 0 214
2014 129 21 8 41 1 0 1 0 201
2015 126 25 7 43 1 0 2 0 204
2016 125 27 9 46 1 0 5 0 213
2017 121 18 11 52 0 0 16 0 218
2018 119 16 10 57 0 0 18 0 220
2019 99 16 15 66 0 0 17 0 213
2020 91 23 13 68 0 0 22 0 217
2021 66 23 13 67 0 0 24 0 193
2022 54 21 9 51 0 0 17 0 152
2023 50 24 6 50 0 0 13 0 143
2024 46 29 10 44 0 0 13 0 142

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Whittier Elementary

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 220 14.0 15.7 54.5
1989 233 12.0 19.4 31.3
1990 211 8.0 26.3 25.6
1991 211 7.0 30.1 45.5
1992 204 7.0 29.1 52.9
1993 207 7.3 28.4 67.6
1994 211 7.0 30.1 65.9
1995 203 9.5 21.4 66
1996 203 9.5 21.4 66
1997 208 10.2 20.4 65.4
1998 211 9.7 21.8 64.5
1999 208 10.9 19.1 73.6
2000 198 12.4 16.0 71.2
2001 192 13.0 14.8 68.8
2002 217 9.9 21.9 25.8
2003 217 9.9 21.9 25.8
2004 213 9.0 23.7 23.9
2005 211 9.3 22.7 n/a
2006 209 8.0 26.1 n/a
2007 212 7.0 30.3 27.4
2008 206 8.5 24.2 27.2
2009 221 8.1 27.3 25.8
2010 217 9.5 22.8 30.9
2011 218 8.5 25.6 37.2
2012 213 8.0 26.6 38.5
2013 214 8.0 26.7 37.4
2014 201 8.4 23.9 34.3
2015 204 n/a n/a 41.7
2016 213 8.0 26.6 41.3
2017 218 10.0 21.7 47.2
2018 220 5.9 37.2 44.5
2019 213 8.8 24.2 37.6
2020 217 8.2 26.4 48.4
2021 193 9.2 20.9 56.5
2022 152 9.2 16.5 51.3
2023 143 10.0 14.3 59.4
2024 142 9.7 14.5 62

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Whittier Elementary

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 220 14.0 15.7 54.5
1989 233 12.0 19.4 31.3
1990 211 8.0 26.3 25.6
1991 211 7.0 30.1 45.5
1992 204 7.0 29.1 52.9
1993 207 7.3 28.4 67.6
1994 211 7.0 30.1 65.9
1995 203 9.5 21.4 66
1996 203 9.5 21.4 66
1997 208 10.2 20.4 65.4
1998 211 9.7 21.8 64.5
1999 208 10.9 19.1 73.6
2000 198 12.4 16.0 71.2
2001 192 13.0 14.8 68.8
2002 217 9.9 21.9 25.8
2003 217 9.9 21.9 25.8
2004 213 9.0 23.7 23.9
2005 211 9.3 22.7 n/a
2006 209 8.0 26.1 n/a
2007 212 7.0 30.3 27.4
2008 206 8.5 24.2 27.2
2009 221 8.1 27.3 25.8
2010 217 9.5 22.8 30.9
2011 218 8.5 25.6 37.2
2012 213 8.0 26.6 38.5
2013 214 8.0 26.7 37.4
2014 201 8.4 23.9 34.3
2015 204 n/a n/a 41.7
2016 213 8.0 26.6 41.3
2017 218 10.0 21.7 47.2
2018 220 5.9 37.2 44.5
2019 213 8.8 24.2 37.6
2020 217 8.2 26.4 48.4
2021 193 9.2 20.9 56.5
2022 152 9.2 16.5 51.3
2023 143 10.0 14.3 59.4
2024 142 9.7 14.5 62

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Whittier Elementary

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $2,059 (17.3%) $9,869 (82.7%) $11,927
2020 $1,631 (13.9%) $10,080 (86.1%) $11,711
2021 $2,446 (18.1%) $11,102 (81.9%) $13,548

Data source: Wisconsin Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Whittier Elementary

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 260th of 1037 Elementary schoolsRanks 244th of 1067 Elementary schools
 2.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Whittier Elementary)54.856.5
 1.7%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Milwaukee School District)16.413.2
 3.2%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)39.537.9
 1.6%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Whittier Elementary)7181.8
 10.9%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Milwaukee School District)21.216.9
 4.3%
   3rd Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)50.548.8
 1.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Whittier Elementary)6041.2
 18.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Milwaukee School District)18.517.5
 1%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)43.945.8
 1.9%
4th Grade Mathematics (Whittier Elementary)5029.4
 20.6%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Milwaukee School District)16.412.7
 3.7%
   4th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)46.246.5
 0.2%
4th Grade Social Studies (Whittier Elementary)6076.5
 16.5%
   4th Grade Social Studies (Milwaukee School District)24.128.3
 4.2%
   4th Grade Social Studies (Wisconsin)53.459.7
 6.4%
4th Grade Science (Whittier Elementary)5058.8
 8.8%
   4th Grade Science (Milwaukee School District)21.819.3
 2.5%
   4th Grade Science (Wisconsin)53.952.1
 1.8%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Whittier Elementary)60.768.4
 7.7%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Milwaukee School District)16.514.1
 2.4%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)40.939.2
 1.7%
5th Grade Mathematics (Whittier Elementary)67.968.4
 0.6%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Milwaukee School District)18.214.9
 3.3%
   5th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)47.848.4
 0.5%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students213143
 32.9%
African American1624
 50%
American Indian00
Asian156
 60%
Hispanic6650
 24.2%
Pacific Islander00
White9950
 49.5%
Two or More Races1713
 23.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients37.6%59.4%
 21.9%


Schools Near Whittier Elementary









Frequently Asked Questions about Whittier Elementary

Whittier Elementary ranks 279th of 1061 Wisconsin elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at Whittier Elementary are 32% White, 31% Hispanic, 20% African American, 9% Two or more races, 7% Asian.

In the 2023-24 school year, 142 students attended Whittier Elementary.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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