South Milwaukee High

Summary:

South Milwaukee High is a public high school serving 988 students in grades 9-12 in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is part of the South Milwaukee School District. Unfortunately, the school has struggled academically, consistently ranking in the bottom quartile of Wisconsin high schools over the past 10 years.

South Milwaukee High's academic performance, as measured by proficiency rates on state assessments, is significantly below the state averages, with only 19.73% of 10th-grade students proficient or better in Social Studies, compared to the state average of 45.08%. Across all subject areas, the school's proficiency rates are 20-30 percentage points lower than the state averages. The school also has a slightly lower four-year graduation rate and a higher dropout rate than the state average. Additionally, South Milwaukee High has experienced a significant increase in chronic absenteeism, rising from 16.9% in 2018-2019 to 32.6% in 2022-2023.

When compared to nearby high-performing schools, such as Franklin High and Reagan College Preparatory High, South Milwaukee High's academic performance and other key metrics are significantly lower. In contrast, the school's performance is more comparable to lower-performing schools in the Milwaukee School District, such as Grandview High and Pulaski High, which also struggle with low academic achievement, high dropout rates, and high chronic absenteeism.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 801 15th Ave
       South Milwaukee, WI  53172


(414) 766-5100

District: South Milwaukee School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
411th of 431 Wisconsin High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $13,355 Help


Feeder schools for South Milwaukee High:

Elementary:    Blakewood Elementary
    E W Luther Elementary
    Lakeview Elementary
    Rawson Elementary
Middle:    South Milwaukee Middle

Student/teacher ratio:  13.5 Help
Number of students:  988

Racial breakdown:

White:
58.6%
Hispanic:
26.6%
African American:
6.3%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  50.7% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details South Milwaukee High ranks worse than 95.4% of high schools in Wisconsin. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.27. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at South Milwaukee High who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
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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 Racial makeup is: White (58.6%), Hispanic (26.6%), African American (6.3%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 50.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at South Milwaukee High is 13.5. (See more...)
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Compare South Milwaukee High employs 73.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at South Milwaukee High is $13,355.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

South Milwaukee High:

SchoolDigger ranks South Milwaukee High 411th of 431 Wisconsin public high schools. (See South Milwaukee High in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


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


South Milwaukee School District:

SchoolDigger ranks South Milwaukee School District 373rd of 428 Wisconsin school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for South Milwaukee High

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Rank History for all students at South Milwaukee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2004 65.84 102nd 275 62.9%
2005 50.53 206th 287 28.2%
2006 62.12 142nd 292 51.4%
2007 60.06 165th 281 41.3%
2008 52.79 282nd 437 35.5%
2009 59.38 214th 438 51.1%
2010 65.68 176th 450 60.9%
2011 65.97 161st 445 63.8%
2012 64.63 176th 452 61.1%
2013 54.01 255th 457 44.2%
2014 41.21 337th 462 27.1%
2015 44.28 346th 466 25.8%
2016 29.80 315th 408 22.8%
2017 20.81 360th 410 12.2%
2018 22.65 356th 410 13.2%
2019 31.16 303rd 400 24.3%
2021 23.18 317th 390 18.7%
2022 10.67 377th 391 3.6%
2023 18.83 371st 415 10.6%
2024 9.27 411th 431 4.6%
See the entire list of Wisconsin High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at South Milwaukee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 21.54 30th 37 18.9%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at South Milwaukee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 60.17 1st 2 50.0%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at South Milwaukee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 14.76 55th 55 0.0%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at South Milwaukee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 29.36 201st 255 21.2%
2019 22.68 220th 251 12.4%
2021 20.78 199th 226 11.9%
2022 17.18 231st 250 7.6%
2023 24.84 230th 271 15.1%
2024 10.06 307th 326 5.8%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at South Milwaukee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 25.98 292nd 355 17.7%
2019 40.09 216th 343 37.0%
2021 34.18 229th 332 31.0%
2022 10.24 327th 343 4.7%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at South Milwaukee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 17.20 343rd 373 8.0%
2019 19.90 317th 354 10.5%
2021 12.76 321st 334 3.9%
2022 13.57 327th 347 5.8%
2023 24.22 297th 359 17.3%
2024 12.13 341st 365 6.6%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at South Milwaukee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 28.37 66th 86 23.3%
2021 32.57 47th 68 30.9%
2022 20.57 72nd 86 16.3%
2023 20.78 84th 97 13.4%
2024 17.27 105th 119 11.8%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at South Milwaukee High

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools WI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2018 23.22 212th 261 18.8%
2019 33.64 180th 266 32.3%
2021 20.13 226th 266 15.0%
2022 9.85 262nd 269 2.6%
2023 14.18 252nd 271 7.0%
2024 6.49 290th 300 3.3%
See the entire list of Best Wisconsin High 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.

South Milwaukee High Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 



Data source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

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Enrollment information for South Milwaukee High

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 1008 102 12 21 7 n/a n/a 0 1150
1989 921 98 9 21 9 n/a n/a 0 1058
1990 872 100 12 24 11 n/a n/a 0 1019
1991 910 96 11 19 9 n/a n/a 0 1045
1992 946 86 21 34 13 n/a n/a 0 1100
1993 979 77 28 40 11 n/a n/a 0 1135
1994 1046 57 34 51 36 n/a n/a 0 1224
1995 1074 48 42 61 12 n/a n/a 0 1237
1996 1074 48 42 61 12 n/a n/a 0 1237
1997 1089 51 46 63 16 n/a n/a 0 1265
1998 1085 60 50 72 18 n/a n/a 0 1285
1999 1033 65 43 75 10 n/a n/a 0 1226
2000 1007 67 43 69 13 n/a n/a 0 1199
2001 1009 75 38 82 6 n/a n/a 0 1210
2002 1018 68 36 80 10 n/a n/a 0 1212
2003 1018 68 36 80 10 n/a n/a 0 1212
2004 1017 61 33 89 7 n/a n/a 0 1207
2005 1046 50 32 95 11 n/a n/a 0 1234
2006 1027 61 27 94 17 n/a n/a 0 1226
2007 1019 59 25 119 17 n/a n/a 0 1239
2008 1015 55 20 127 17 n/a n/a 0 1234
2009 982 59 21 133 18 n/a n/a 0 1213
2010 979 60 22 130 14 n/a n/a 0 1205
2011 972 59 26 126 16 0 2 0 1201
2012 943 56 24 133 11 0 2 0 1169
2013 900 60 18 142 11 0 4 0 1135
2014 902 67 20 139 12 0 4 0 1144
2015 876 71 20 167 7 0 4 0 1145
2016 863 66 19 193 13 0 8 0 1162
2017 835 65 20 215 14 0 11 0 1160
2018 786 61 21 243 12 0 27 0 1150
2019 728 58 21 222 14 0 30 0 1073
2020 688 68 17 232 12 1 36 0 1054
2021 650 56 18 231 7 0 60 0 1022
2022 632 63 19 250 6 0 62 0 1032
2023 579 62 13 263 6 0 59 6 988

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 South Milwaukee High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1150 72.0 15.9 15.2
1989 1058 67.4 15.6 7.2
1990 1019 66.6 15.3 7.4
1991 1045 67.9 15.3 14.4
1992 1100 69.9 15.7 16.4
1993 1135 82.9 13.7 18.6
1994 1224 79.0 15.5 16.9
1995 1237 71.1 17.4 16.2
1996 1237 71.1 17.4 16.2
1997 1265 70.7 17.9 16
1998 1285 71.6 17.9 17
1999 1226 72.1 17.0 23
2000 1199 72.0 16.7 29.2
2001 1210 75.6 16.0 24
2002 1212 82.8 14.6 21.5
2003 1212 82.8 14.6 21.5
2004 1207 77.6 15.6 18.2
2005 1234 78.9 15.6 n/a
2006 1226 79.3 15.5 n/a
2007 1239 78.8 15.7 25.3
2008 1234 76.5 16.1 25.1
2009 1213 72.7 16.7 26
2010 1205 71.0 16.9 30.5
2011 1201 69.0 17.4 33.6
2012 1169 67.6 17.2 36.9
2013 1135 67.7 16.7 39
2014 1144 69.1 16.5 41.3
2015 1145 n/a n/a 42.3
2016 1162 70.0 16.6 44.9
2017 1160 71.2 16.2 41.6
2018 1150 72.6 15.8 43.2
2019 1073 73.8 14.5 40.3
2020 1054 73.5 14.3 43.6
2021 1022 70.4 14.5 49.1
2022 1032 74.1 13.9 44.2
2023 988 73.1 13.5 50.7

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 South Milwaukee High

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1150 72.0 15.9 15.2
1989 1058 67.4 15.6 7.2
1990 1019 66.6 15.3 7.4
1991 1045 67.9 15.3 14.4
1992 1100 69.9 15.7 16.4
1993 1135 82.9 13.7 18.6
1994 1224 79.0 15.5 16.9
1995 1237 71.1 17.4 16.2
1996 1237 71.1 17.4 16.2
1997 1265 70.7 17.9 16
1998 1285 71.6 17.9 17
1999 1226 72.1 17.0 23
2000 1199 72.0 16.7 29.2
2001 1210 75.6 16.0 24
2002 1212 82.8 14.6 21.5
2003 1212 82.8 14.6 21.5
2004 1207 77.6 15.6 18.2
2005 1234 78.9 15.6 n/a
2006 1226 79.3 15.5 n/a
2007 1239 78.8 15.7 25.3
2008 1234 76.5 16.1 25.1
2009 1213 72.7 16.7 26
2010 1205 71.0 16.9 30.5
2011 1201 69.0 17.4 33.6
2012 1169 67.6 17.2 36.9
2013 1135 67.7 16.7 39
2014 1144 69.1 16.5 41.3
2015 1145 n/a n/a 42.3
2016 1162 70.0 16.6 44.9
2017 1160 71.2 16.2 41.6
2018 1150 72.6 15.8 43.2
2019 1073 73.8 14.5 40.3
2020 1054 73.5 14.3 43.6
2021 1022 70.4 14.5 49.1
2022 1032 74.1 13.9 44.2
2023 988 73.1 13.5 50.7

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 South Milwaukee High

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $272 (2.3%) $11,525 (97.7%) $11,796
2020 $323 (2.6%) $11,991 (97.4%) $12,314
2021 $837 (6.3%) $12,519 (93.7%) $13,355

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

Impact of COVID-19 on South Milwaukee High

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 303rd of 400 High schoolsRanks 371st of 415 High schools
 13.6%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
10th Grade Social Studies (South Milwaukee High)32.430.9
 1.4%
   10th Grade Social Studies (South Milwaukee School District)32.430.9
 1.4%
   10th Grade Social Studies (Wisconsin)45.947.2
 1.3%
10th Grade English Language Arts (South Milwaukee High)31.822.6
 9.1%
   10th Grade English Language Arts (South Milwaukee School District)31.822.6
 9.1%
   10th Grade English Language Arts (Wisconsin)38.841.4
 2.6%
10th Grade Mathematics (South Milwaukee High)28.619.6
 9%
   10th Grade Mathematics (South Milwaukee School District)28.619.6
 9%
   10th Grade Mathematics (Wisconsin)30.829.4
 1.3%
10th Grade Science (South Milwaukee High)29.926.5
 3.4%
   10th Grade Science (South Milwaukee School District)29.926.5
 3.4%
   10th Grade Science (Wisconsin)32.731.7
 1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students1073988
 7.9%
African American5862
 6.9%
American Indian146
 57.1%
Asian2113
 38.1%
Hispanic222263
 18.5%
Pacific Islander00
White728579
 20.5%
Two or More Races3059
 96.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients40.3%50.7%
 10.4%


Schools Near South Milwaukee High









Frequently Asked Questions about South Milwaukee High

South Milwaukee High ranks in the bottom 4.6% of Wisconsin high schools.

In the 2022-23 school year, 988 students attended South Milwaukee High.

South Milwaukee High is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Blakewood Elementary
Elementary : E W Luther Elementary
Elementary : Lakeview Elementary
Elementary : Rawson Elementary
Middle : South Milwaukee Middle

Students at South Milwaukee High are 59% White, 27% Hispanic, 6% African American, 6% Two or more races, 1% Asian.


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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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