Other / mixed grade configuration · Milwaukee, WI

Westside Academy

Federal NCES profile for Westside Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 550960001512
0/100100/10027/100
👥 S:T ratio
51
🌟 Gifted program
30
📋 Attendance
0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Westside Academy earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median.

#84 of 135
schools in Milwaukee · Resource Index
27
Resource Index · Lower
12.2:1
students per teacher
96.0%
free-lunch eligible

Westside Academy has class sizes near the Wisconsin median. Computed live against every Wisconsin school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Westside Academy ranks #84 of 135 schools in Milwaukee, WI.

Enrollment

159

Wisconsin · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

13.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

12.2:1

vs 14.4:1 Wisconsin avg

-15% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

96.0%

vs 38.5% Wisconsin avg

+149% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Westside Academy compares with Wisconsin and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Westside Academy

Westside Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, enrolling 159 students.

Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need is high: 96.0% of students qualify for free meals, 149% above the Wisconsin average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

Enrollment of 159 puts it in the smaller third of Wisconsin schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 2,202 Wisconsin schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 42 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Wisconsin schools statewide, it ranks #34, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly African American (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 82.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Milwaukee School District spends $17,847 per pupil, 20% above the Wisconsin average, a better-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Among Milwaukee's public schools, it stands alongside Hapa-Hmong American Peace Academy K3-12 (1,974 students): Westside Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.2:1 vs 30.8:1).

Milwaukee School District also operates Hapa-Hmong American Peace Academy K3-12 (1,974 students) and Hamilton High (1,472 students) alongside Westside Academy.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How Westside Academy compares

Westside Academy on the metrics families compare, against Wisconsin and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Wisconsin Wisconsin avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 12.2:1 ▼ 15% 14.4:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 96.0% ▲ 149% 38.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 159 top 76% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

12.2:1
Leaner classes than 74% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
159
Bigger than 15% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
96.0%
free-lunch eligible - 149% above the Wisconsin average of 38.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.2:1
students per teacher - 15% below state mean
Top 35% in Wisconsin - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
82.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,847
per pupil, district-wide - above Wisconsin avg of $14,919
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

African American 86.8%
Asian 5.7%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
Two or More 2.5%
White 1.3%

Largest group: African American at 86.8% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 24.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 24.1, Westside Academy is less mixed than the Wisconsin school average of 35.7.

Programs

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Milwaukee School District, which includes Westside Academy.

$17,847
Per student
+20%
vs Wisconsin
Avg $14,919
+8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.3%
State 57.7%
Federal 15.0%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How Westside Academy Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Hapa-Hmong American Peace Academy K3-12 Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Hamilton High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Reagan College Preparatory High Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
King International Larger Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Obama School of Career and Technical Education Larger Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Westside Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Milwaukee School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Milwaukee

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

Similar other schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Wisconsin, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Westside Academy's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about Westside Academy

How many students attend Westside Academy?

Westside Academy has 159 students enrolled. It is a public school in Milwaukee, WI.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Westside Academy?

The student-teacher ratio at Westside Academy is 12.2:1, which is 15% lower than the Wisconsin average of 14.4:1 and 22% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Westside Academy?

96.0% of students at Westside Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Wisconsin average of 38.5%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westside Academy?

The largest demographic group at Westside Academy is African American at 86.8% of enrollment, in Milwaukee, WI.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Westside Academy?

Westside Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Westside Academy rank among schools in Milwaukee?

By Resource Investment Index, Westside Academy ranks #84 of 135 schools in Milwaukee, WI. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Milwaukee on the city page.

Is Westside Academy a good school?

Westside Academy earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Wisconsin median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Milwaukee School District?

Besides Westside Academy, Milwaukee School District also operates Hapa-Hmong American Peace Academy K3-12 (1,974 students), Hamilton High (1,472 students), and Reagan College Preparatory High (1,372 students). See the Milwaukee School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.