Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal
records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our
editorial standards & corrections policy, the
methodology behind these numbers, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - 156 schools
An equity score of 73/100 ranks Milwaukee School District #64 of 403 districts in Wisconsin (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,847 per pupil, Milwaukee School District ranks #51 of 422 Wisconsin districts by per-pupil spending (Wisconsin districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
67,500
Total Enrollment
156
Schools
$17,847
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Milwaukee School District operates 156 public schools serving 67,500 students, placing it among the largest districts in Wisconsin. The school portfolio breaks down into 119 combined, 28 high, 8 middle, 1 elementary schools, giving families in a major system a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a large portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Milwaukee County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,847 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 422 Wisconsin districts by per-pupil spending. See how Wisconsin compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 27.3% local, 57.7% state, and 15.0% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 73/100, ranked #64 of 403 in Wisconsin against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 24 of 156 schools offering Advanced Placement (152 AP courses district-wide), a 416.6:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 57.4% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 57.9% African American, 24.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.1% White across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Academy of Accelerated Learning, with a diversity index of 77.3/100.
Milwaukee School District school enrollment varies 1974× across entities
Milwaukee School District school enrollment ranges from 1 students (lowest) to 1,974 students (highest), a spread of 1,973 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Milwaukee School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 85.7% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Milwaukee School District student-counselor ratio is 417:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Milwaukee School District chronic absenteeism rate is 57.4% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.
How many schools are in Milwaukee School District?
Milwaukee School District has 156 schools, including 119 combined, 28 high, 8 middle, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 67,500 students.
How much does Milwaukee School District spend per student?
Milwaukee School District spends $17,847 per student. The district has an equity score of 73/100, ranking #64 in Wisconsin.
What is the demographic composition of Milwaukee School District?
Milwaukee School District students are 57.9% African American, 24.1% Hispanic or Latino, 7.1% White, 6.0% Asian, averaged across 156 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Milwaukee School District?
Milwaukee School District has an equity score of 73/100, ranking #64 out of 403 districts in Wisconsin.