Rufus King International School – High School Campus

Rufus King International School – High School Campus, or Rufus King, is a public magnet high school located on the north side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, part of the Milwaukee Public Schools district. The school is ranked the 130th public high school in the country by U.S. News and World Report, making it the top performing public high school in the state of Wisconsin. The school offers the International Baccalaureate curriculum.The school was formerly named Rufus King International Baccalaureate High School. After the addition of a feeder middle years program in the 2010-2011 school year, the high school was renamed Rufus King International School – High School Campus.Sixty percent of the students are of African American descent (compared to the state average of 11%), twenty percent of students are Caucasian and seven percent of students are Hispanic and Asian. Fifty-one percent of students are eligible for free school lunch.AcademicsRufus King's college preparatory curriculum is anchored by the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP), which was established at the school in 1979, the first such school in the state of Wisconsin and one of the first in North America. The emphasis in the curriculum is on writing, speaking, critical thinking and independent application of knowledge. Full Diploma students are also required to write a 3,000-4,000 word original essay and volunteer at least 150 hours of service. All Rufus King students participate in pre-diploma and IB courses and more than half of the student population take at least one IB test with a success rate of 85.9% passing. 95% of graduates matriculate to higher education.