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GreatSchools Rating

Messmer High School

Private | 9-12 | 750 students

We are best known for college prep curriculum.

Living in Milwaukee

Situated in an inner city neighborhood. The median home value is $52,100. The average monthly rent for a 2 bedroom apartment is $800.

Source: Sperling's Best Places
 
Last modified
Community Rating

4 stars

Community Rating by Year
2013:
No new ratings
2012:
No new ratings
2011:
Based on 1 rating
2010:
No new ratings

Teacher quality

Principal leadership

Parent involvement

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8 reviews of this school


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Posted October 22, 2011

i hate messmer. messmer is a bad school never send yourr kid there it is horrioble


Posted September 24, 2009

I graduated from Messmer and I loved the school the staff and administration provided me with all the necessary tools. If we are still living here in WI my childrens high school is already picked.


Posted September 16, 2009

great school, great educators
—Submitted by a parent


Posted June 1, 2008

I think Messmer is a great high school. My son did overcome some challenges academically. This made him a determined student. It has taught him that struggles occur in life yet he can accomplish whatever he is seeking in life. Students are very polite, structured, and ambitious. From my experience as a parent, students worked together like one family. Teachers responded to my situations and I'm very pleased as a parents with deadlines for students overall. Messmer teach students responsibility.
—Submitted by a parent


Posted December 27, 2007

I personally think messmer is one of the best high schools in the coutry.It has everything you may be looking for, and more. Some stereotypes agree with what people say about messmer, and how it's weak because it's a religous school....but to bad for them.They're really missing out on a great oppurtunity to have fun and to succeed in life.So if you're looking for your child to enjoy school while learning at the sametime then messmer is the place. by the way messmer is not weak
—Submitted by a student


Posted June 6, 2007

i am a student at Messmer and it a great place to learn. It not only has a great religous program but the students participate in all the opportunities they can. The kids at the school are always willing to learn and they are all great people to have around you. It's a place to grow as a person and spiritualy. You can make friends easily and the teachers are always there when you need help. The teachers are always commited to helping another student succeed and give the students that push to help them make it in college.Also because the class sizes aren't so huge the student gets more one on one time with the teachers for extra help. It is a great school and i recommend it to everyone.
—Submitted by a student


Posted November 14, 2006

Messmer is a wonderful school that gives the students a lot of opportunities to go further in life. It's a great school to become apart of. It's none like the others.
—Submitted by a student


Posted September 22, 2004

Messmer high school is a great school that is overlooked by alot of people simply because it is catholic. But really, Messmer is one of the best high schools in Milwaukee and should be considered by all as at least a second choice. If we were to always look at something and say no because of the religion, what kind of society would we live in?
—Submitted by Monique Clark, a student


Community ratings and reviews do not represent the views of GreatSchools nor does GreatSchools check their accuracy or verify the reviewers' identities. Use your discretion when evaluating these reviews.

About these ratings

The Community Rating is the school’s average rating from its community members (e.g., parents, students, and school staff). The highest possible rating is five stars; the lowest is one star.

The test results by subgroup show how the designated group of students is performing in comparison to the general population.

Grade level

Language Arts

186 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
52%

2011

 
 
58%
Math

187 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
42%

2011

 
 
31%
Reading

187 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
66%

2011

 
 
56%
Science

187 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
39%

2011

 
 
37%
Social Studies

186 students were tested at this school in 2012.

2012

 
 
57%

2011

 
 
45%
Scale: % proficient or advanced

About the tests


In 2011-2012 Wisconsin used the Wisconsin Student Assessment System (WSAS), which includes the WKCE and WAA, to test students in grades 3 through 8 and 10 in math and reading, and in grades 4, 8 and 10 in language arts, science and social studies. The WSAS is a standards-based test, which means it measures how well students are mastering specific skills defined for each grade by the state of Wisconsin. The goal is for all students to score at or above the proficient level. In private schools, only voucher program participants are tested.

See Wisconsin's state standards

Source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

GreatSchools Rating

What makes up this rating?

Academic rating
2 / 10
Climate rating
Not available

This school's GreatSchools Rating is based on academics (90%) and climate (10%). The academic rating measures students' test scores, academic growth and college readiness. The climate rating measures safety, cleanliness, parent involvement and more.

Learn more about our methodology

What is the new GreatSchools Rating?

Rating legend
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average
Average
Above
average

Our rating (from 1 to 10) reflects a school's overall performance. The higher the rating, the more likely the school will prepare your child for the future, so choose an above-average school (8-10) if possible. For average schools (4-7), do careful research and look for evidence that the school has high-quality programs. For below-average schools (1-3), take caution; a low-performing school may not provide the instruction or environment your child needs to learn, and you may need to supplement classroom lessons at home.

Academic rating

The academic rating is made up of equally-weighted parts: students' test scores, their academic growth (for elementary and middle schools) and their readiness for college (for high schools). The graphs below compare this school's results in each area to other schools in the city and state.
Overall academic rating

2

Below average

Test score rating 2012*
This school
City
State
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Learn more about this school's test scores »

*Test scores are based on the 2012 WSAS results from the state of Wisconsin.

Climate ratings

This rating encompasses five elements of school climate: safety and cleanliness, respect and relationships, expectations for students, teacher collaboration and support, and parent involvement. This school's climate ratings are the result of GreatSchools' analysis of teacher survey data from the Spring 2012 School Climate Survey developed by Milwaukee Public Schools. Unfortunately, this school didn't provide enough survey responses to generate a climate rating.

Student ethnicity

Ethnicity This school
Black, not Hispanic 85%
Hispanic 10%
Multiracial 3%
Asian 2%
White, not Hispanic 1%
American Indian/Alaskan Native 0%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0%
Source: NCES, 2009-2010

College readiness and student pathways

Students typically attend these schools prior to attending this school Messmer Preparatory Catholic School
St. Rose and St. Leo Catholic School
Read more about resources at this school
Source: Manually entered by a school official.

Student-teacher ratio

  This school District averageState average
Students per FTE teacher 14N/AN/A
Source: NCES, 2007-2008

Teacher resources

Special staff resources available to students Art teacher(s)
ELL/ESL Coordinator
Librarian/media specialist(s)
Music teacher(s)
PE instructor(s)
Nurse(s)
Robotics/Technology specialist(s)
Security personnel
Foreign languages spoken by school staff French
German
Japanese
Spanish
Read more about programs at this school
Source: Manually entered by a school official.

Special education / special needs

Level of special education programming offered
  • Basic - the school offers or partners to provide services based on the needs of individual students

Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM)

Staff resources available to students
  • Robotics/Technology specialist(s)
School facilities
  • Computer lab
  • Science lab
Clubs
  • Gardening
  • Science club

Arts & music

Staff resources available to students
  • Art teacher(s)
  • Music teacher(s)
School facilities
  • Art room
Visual arts
  • Ceramics
  • Painting
  • Photography
Music
  • Band
  • Choir / Chorus
Performing and written arts
  • Dance
  • Drama
Media arts
  • Video / Film production
Clubs
  • Sewing/knitting club

Language learning

Bi-lingual or language immersion programs offered
  • Spanish
Foreign languages taught
  • Any language through our Distance Learning Lab
  • French
  • Spanish
Level of ESL/ELL programming offered
  • Basic - the school offers or partners to provide services based on the needs of individual students
Staff resources available to students
  • ELL/ESL Coordinator
Foreign languages spoken by staff
  • French
  • German
  • Japanese
  • Spanish
Clubs
  • Foreign language and culture club

Health & athletics

Staff resources available to students
  • Nurse(s)
  • PE instructor(s)
School facilities
  • Gym
  • Multi-purpose room ("cafegymatorium")
  • Swimming pool
Clubs
  • Gardening

Gifted & talented

Instructional and/or curriculum models used
  • Accelerated credit learning
  • Honors track
College preparation / awareness resources offered
  • College presentations or information sessions
  • SAT/ACT prep classes
Clubs
  • Forensics club
School leaders can update this information here.

School basics

School start time
  • 8:00 am
School end time
  • 3:00 pm
School Leader's name
  • Mike Bartels
Gender
  • Coed
Is there an application process?
  • Yes
Affiliation
  • Roman Catholic
Associations
  • NCEA
Fax number
  • (414) 264-5440

Programs

Instructional and/or curriculum models used

Don't understand these terms?
  • Accelerated credit learning
  • Honors track
Specific academic themes or areas of focus

Don't understand these terms?
  • Religious
Bi-lingual or language immersion programs offered

Don't understand these terms?
  • Spanish
Level of special education programming offered
  • Basic - the school offers or partners to provide services based on the needs of individual students
Foreign languages taught
  • Any language through our Distance Learning Lab
  • French
  • Spanish
Level of ESL/ELL programming offered
  • Basic - the school offers or partners to provide services based on the needs of individual students

Resources

Staff resources available to students
  • Art teacher(s)
  • ELL/ESL Coordinator
  • Librarian/media specialist(s)
  • Music teacher(s)
  • Nurse(s)
  • PE instructor(s)
  • Robotics/Technology specialist(s)
  • Security personnel
Foreign languages spoken by staff
  • French
  • German
  • Japanese
  • Spanish
College preparation / awareness resources offered
  • College presentations or information sessions
  • SAT/ACT prep classes
School facilities
  • Art room
  • Auditorium
  • Cafeteria
  • Chapel/spiritual reflection center
  • Computer lab
  • Gym
  • Internet access
  • Library
  • Multi-purpose room ("cafegymatorium")
  • Science lab
  • Swimming pool
School leaders can update this information here.

Sports

Boys sports
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Cross country
  • Football
  • Soccer
  • Track
Girls sports
  • Basketball
  • Cheerleading
  • Cross country
  • Tennis
  • Track
  • Volleyball

Arts & music

Visual arts
  • Ceramics
  • Painting
  • Photography
Music
  • Band
  • Choir / Chorus
Performing arts
  • Dance
  • Drama
Media arts
  • Video / Film production

Student clubs

Clubs (distinct from courses)
  • Book/reading club
  • Foreign language and culture club
  • Forensics club
  • Gardening
  • Science club
  • Sewing/knitting club
School leaders can update this information here.

School culture

Dress Code
  • Uniforms
Parent involvement
  • Attend parent nights
  • Chaperone school trips
  • Coach sports teams or extracurricular activities
  • Tutor
  • Volunteer in the classroom
  • Volunteer time after school
School colors
  • Blue, White
School mascot
  • Bishop
School leaders can update this information here.

Apply

 

TIP: Don't forget to ask about documents required for enrollment, such as your child's birth certificate, proof of address, or a record of immunizations.

 
Apply now
 

What are your chances?

Students typically come from these schools
Messmer Preparatory Catholic School
St. Rose and St. Leo Catholic School

What does it cost?

Vouchers accepted
Yes
Financial aid offered
Yes.
Application fee
No

Planning ahead

Students typically attend these schools after graduating
Marquette University
UW-Madison
UW-Milwaukee
College preparation / awareness offered
College presentations or information sessions
SAT/ACT prep classes
Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!

742 W Capitol Dr
Milwaukee, WI 53206
Website: Click here
Phone: (414) 264-5440

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