River Trail School Home Page

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

Principal Tiffany Fisher
12021 W.Florist Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53225
414-393-2200

School Organization

River Trail School of Math, Science, and Technology is a year round school on the northwest side of Milwaukee that serves 550 students in grades K4 through 8 in 2010-11.Our year round calendar disperses 180 school days in a way that students and staff receive a three week intersession every nine weeks. The students have a short six week break in the summer to ensure they retain knowledge, concepts, and skills learned, thus eliminating the need to review extensively at the beginning of each school year. We are currently expanding our K4 through grade 8 program to include an additional eighth grade classroom in the 2010-11 school year. Our school is physically organized into three multi-grade units and has an open environment (no interior walls).The unique physical environment enhances communication between grade level teams that meet weekly during common planning times to plan instruction, assess student progress, and support each other in advancing student achievement Each grade level team is represented on the Learning Team along with the principal, literacy coach, and implementer. Another benefit of the open layout of the school is the necessity it creates in keeping our instruction and learning activities well-planned and engaging. Throughout most of the day, the school climate is noticeably calm and students move through the building in an orderly manner. River Trail serves a culturally diverse population of 70% African Americans, 9% White, 13% Asian, 4% Hispanic, 1% Indian American, and 3% of other ethnic origins. We receive Title I funding with about 75% of our students meeting the qualifications for free and reduced lunch. In the 2000-01 school year, River Trail began participation in the SAGE (Student Academic Guarantee in Education) program. This state funded grant has helped keep class sizes in K5 through 3rd grade at a 15:1 student to teacher ratio. Of the 500 students at River Trail, 16% are identified as having exceptional educational needs. The educational program for students with special education needs in the self-contained classroom and resource room is based on ability levels and curriculum is modified to meet each student's individual needs.

Mission Statement

River Trail's vision and mission is to prepare all students for higher-level education by helping them reach their maximum potential. We are a school focused on math, science and technology in order to equip our students to compete for jobs in today's global market place. Our students receive rigorous instruction in math and science while integrating technology throughout all curricular areas. Our professional learning community looks at our student's educational needs through an ongoing process of collaborative data-analysis, shared decision making about educational goals, an effective and evolving educational plan, a curriculum that is aligned to learning targets, and assessment of student progress and instructional practices.